Inheritance of hypocatalasaemia in guinea-pigs

Conclusion

Hypocatalasaemia in guinea-pigs, which is accompanied by hypoenzymic catalasea of other organs, is transmitted by heredity independent of the sex of the animal, and is a recessive character. While with the first generation produced from the crossing of hypocatalasaemic and normal animals the blood contains the normal quantity of catalase, in the second generation about 25% of the offspring display hypocatalasaemia.

In crosses between the first generation and hypocatalasaemic animals, about 50% of the offspring are hypocatalasaemic, the remaining 50% displaying the normal catalase content.