Two monogenic disorders masquerading as one: severe congenital neutropenia with monocytosis and non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss

Abstract

Background: We report a large family with four successive generations, presenting with a complex phenotype of severe congenital neutropenia (SCN), partially penetrant monocytosis, and hearing loss of varying severity.

Methods: We performed whole exome sequencing to identify the causative variants. Sanger sequencing was used to perform segregation analyses on remaining family members.

Results: We identified and classified a pathogenic GFI1 variant and a likely pathogenic variant in MYO6 which together explain the complex phenotypes seen in this family.

Conclusions: We present a case illustrating the benefits of a broad screening approach that allows identification of oligogenic determinants of complex human phenotypes which may have been missed if the screening was limited to a targeted gene panel with the assumption of a syndromic disorder. This is important for correct genetic diagnosis of families and disentangling the range and severity of phenotypes associated with high impact variants.

Keywords: Congenital neutropenia; Hearing loss; Leukemia predisposition; Neutropenia; Polygenic inheritance.