A Case of Successful Pregnancy in a Ewe with Uterus Didelphys

Uterus didelphys is a rare congenital abnormality of the reproductive tract. Although it occurs in various species, there are no published reports describing pregnancy outcome in association with this abnormality. Herein we describe a case of successful unilateral singleton pregnancy in a ewe incidentally found to have uterus didelphys during the course of a biomedical research study. The pregnancy was established using assisted reproductive techniques and interrupted in late gestation, at which point the abnormality was identified. Serial ultrasound assessment of foetal biometry revealed a normal foetal growth trajectory. Despite a 45% reduction in placentome number, total placentome weight was near normal secondary to compensatory placentome growth and development. To our knowledge, this is the first detailed report of normal foetal growth in an animal with uterus didelphys and illustrates the ability of the ovine placenta to adapt to a reduced number of placentomes and maintain foetal nutrient supply.     

At sea movement of Macquarie Island giant petrels: Relationships with marine protected areas and Regional Fisheries Management Organisations

Satellite tracking devices were used to examine the at sea movements of southern and northern giant petrels from Macquarie Island during the Austral summers of 2005-06 and 2006-07. Time spent at sea for nine northern giant petrels (four breeding adults, five recently fledged juveniles) and 10 southern giant petrels (three breeding adults, one non-breeding adult, and six recently fledged juveniles) was examined in relation to marine protected areas and fishing activity in the area immediately adjacent to Macquarie Island in 2005-06, and in terms of the jurisdictions of Regional Fisheries Management Authorities (RFMOs) at a broader scale during both seasons. Breeding adult southern and northern giant petrels spent a large proportion of their time at sea in the Macquarie Island Marine Park (25% and 65%, respectively), primarily during chick rearing. Further from Macquarie Island, the most important foraging areas for adult giant petrels were the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) statistical sub-areas 58.4.1 and 88.1, where foraging activity was concentrated around the ice edge and the Polar Frontal Zone. Fledglings of both species spent time in the Marine Park immediately after fledging, before moving into international waters. We found significant temporal and spatial overlap in the areas used by recently fledged juvenile northern giant petrels and the areas utilised by the single trawler that operated in these waters during 2005-06. Adult giant petrels spent little time in RFMO waters other than those under the jurisdiction of CCAMLR, but fledgling southern and northern giant petrels spent considerable time (56% and 78% of total time at sea) on the high seas of the Pacific Ocean, in areas under the jurisdictions of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT), the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), the Inter American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO). Band returns indicate that the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and the South East Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (SEAFO) areas are likely to be extensively utilised by Macquarie Island giant petrels in the first three years after fledging. Overall, Macquarie Island’s giant petrel populations are well protected by marine reserves during the breeding season. However, after fledging birds move into RFMO areas that currently have low standards of observer coverage and by catch mitigation, and where fisheries related mortality is likely to pose a significant risk.     

A pilot study to investigate the measurement of immunoglobulin A in Welsh Cob and Welsh Pony foals’ faeces and their dam’s milk

ABSTRACT

Aims: To determine if an ELISA for measurement of IgA in equine serum could be used to measure concentrations of IgA in foal faeces and to determine correlations with concentrations in the milk of the dam.

Methods: Faeces from 20 Welsh Cob and Welsh Pony foals and milk from their dams were collected within 12?hours (Day 0) and at 6 days after parturition (Day 6). On Day 6, faeces could not be collected from 2/20 foals, and milk samples could not be collected from 3/20 mares. An equine IgA ELISA validated for serum and plasma was used to measure concentrations of IgA in all samples in triplicate. The precision of the assay for each sample type was determined using modified CV.

Results: IgA was not detectable in 7/20 Day 0 faecal samples and in 2/18 Day 6 faecal samples. For samples with detectable IgA, the mean modified CV was 10.5 (95% CI?=?6.0–15.0)% for Day 0 faecal samples, and was 6.8 (95% CI?=?4.3–9.4)% for Day 6 faecal samples. Median concentrations of IgA in faeces on Day 0 were lower than concentrations on Day 6 (0.7?mg/g vs. 37?mg/g dry matter; p?=?0.003). Concentrations of IgA in milk and faeces on Day 6 were statistically correlated (r?=?0.59; p?=?0.006).

Conclusions and clinical relevance: The IgA ELISA showed acceptable precision when used to estimate concentrations of IgA in foal faeces during the first week of life, but IgA could not be detected in 37% of meconium samples collected on Day 0. This assay may be useful for investigation of the role of maternal milk IgA in the gastrointestinal tract of neonatal foals, but further assessment of both accuracy and precision of the ELISA is required.     

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) in Straws and a Short Gamete Coincubation Time Improves the Efficiency of Porcine IVF

The present study was designed to evaluate three different in vitro fertilization (IVF) systems: a straw‐IVF system with 10 min of coincubation, a straw‐IVF system with 6‐h coincubation and the microdrop‐IVF system with 6‐h coincubation (the traditional IVF system used routinely in most of IVF laboratories) in an attempt to reduce polyspermic penetration ( Experiment 1 ). When the straw‐IVF system was tested in combination with two coincubation times, the use of 10 min of coincubation significantly increased (p < 0.001) the penetration rate and the efficiency of fertilization (67.7 ± 6.4% vs 31.9 ± 6.5% and 41.5 ± 2.5% vs 17.6 ± 2.5% for 10 min and 6 h, respectively), while there were no significant differences in the incidence of monospermy between both systems (64.3 ± 5.1% and 67.7 ± 3.4%, for 10 min and 6 h, respectively). The penetration rate in the 6‐h microdrop‐IVF system was higher (93.8 ± 3.6%; p < 0.001) compared with the 10‐min straw‐IVF system (67.7 ± 6.4%), however, monospermy was severely reduced (25.0 ± 4.3% vs 67.7 ± 3.4%, for the 6‐h microdrop‐IVF system and 10‐min straw‐IVF system, respectively). The efficiency of the IVF showed similar values between microdrop and 6‐h straw‐IVF systems, but efficiency was significantly improved (p < 0.05) when the 10‐min straw‐IVF system was used. Experiment 2 was designed to compare porcine in vitro embryo production in two IVF systems, the 6‐h microdrop‐IVF system (1000 sperm per oocyte) and 10‐min straw‐IVF system (30 000 sperm per oocyte). The blastocyst formation rates tended (p = 0.06) to be higher when the 10‐min straw‐IVF system was used compared with the 6‐h microdrop‐IVF system. In addition, the number of total cells per blastocyst increased significantly (p < 0.05) in the 10‐min straw‐IVF system. These results showed that the 10‐min straw‐IVF system is an effective way to decrease polyspermic penetration, and improve the efficiency of fertilization and the quality of blastocysts in terms of cell number per embryo.     

Optimization and validation of a flow cytometric method for immunophenotyping peripheral blood lymphocytes from cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis)

BACKGROUND: Guidelines published by the Food and Drug Administration and Center for Human Medicinal Products describe the need to assess immunotoxic effects in nonclinical studies that evaluate drug toxicity, including the use of immunophenotyping to measure immunotoxicity. We are not aware of previous studies, however, that have validated methods for immunophenotyping peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in whole blood samples from cynomolgus monkeys. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to optimize and validate a flow cytometric assay for immunophenotyping lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of cynomolgus monkeys. METHODS: A series of prevalidation experiments were done to determine optimal reagents, volumes, timing, and other procedural details of the flow cytometric assay. Using the optimized method, we then determined precision, interindividual variation, laboratory-to-laboratory variability, and sample stability. Stabilized human blood was used as a positive control for staining, processing, and analysis. The percentage and number of pan-T cells (CD3+), T-helper cells (CD3+4+), T cytotoxic/suppressor cells (CD3+8+), natural killer cells (CD3-16+), and B-cells (CD3-20+) were determined in 146 male and 140 female, clinically healthy monkeys and reference intervals were calculated. RESULTS: By doing 4-color staining with a lyse-wash method, intra- and interassay precision were <5% for all lymphocyte subsets. Variability between technicians and laboratories was minimal (CVs<3%). Samples were stable for up to 24 hours after staining and fixing. CONCLUSIONS: The validated method is extremely robust and can be performed under good laboratory practice conditions to support nonclinical studies. Reference intervals for lymphocyte subsets were similar to those previously reported.     

Treatment of leiomyosarcoma in a tiger (Panthera tigris) with stereotactic radiotherapy

A 10‐year‐old male captive tiger (Panthera tigris) developed right‐sided facial asymmetry and enlargement. Computed tomography revealed a destructive mass of the right maxillary bone with right nasal cavity involvement. Histopathology indicated a spindle cell sarcoma. A single fraction of 22 Gy using stereotactic radiotherapy was prescribed. After treatment, the facial conformation returned to normal and the tiger resumed normal behavior. Diagnostics 4 months later indicated severe metastatic disease. Humane euthanasia and necropsy were performed. This is the first case utilizing stereotactic radiotherapy for the treatment of cancer in a tiger.