Uteropexy in sheep as potential method for prevention of uterine torsion

Background: Uterine torsion is one of many causes of dystocia in sheep. Failure in performing of wright-time diagnostic procedures and treatment by certain obstetric procedures, can result with death of both fetus and ewe. There is sufficient knowledge about risk factors which could contribute to the occurrence of uterine torsion in sheep, but there is insufficient knowledge about measures for prevention of uterine torsion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of performing incorporative uteropexy as potential method for prevention of uterine torsion. Cases: This research was part of the experimental research of changes in the anterior presentation in sheep fetuses due to their ventro-sacral position in the 2nd half of gestation. At the same sheep farm where afore mentioned research was conducted, the farmer has reported the death of 3 pregnant ewes. In all of 3 animals, torsion of the uterus was diagnosed by patho-anatomical examination. This study was conducted on 6 ewes. All of the animals were in the period around the 100th day of pregnancy at the time of clinical examination. The exact day of pregnancy was not determinated because of free mating in the herd. Confirmation of pregnancy in all of 6 ewes was performed by ultrasound examination. Uniparous pregnancy was found in all of 6 ewes. The entire surgical procedures were performed in the field conditions. Laparotomy was performed in the animals positioned in the left lateral recumbency. Surgical procedure of incorporative uteropexy was performed during the closure of muscle layers of abdominal wall. In need for experimental research of changes in the anterior presentation in sheep fetuses due to their ventro-sacral position in the 2nd half of gestation, 14 days after surgical procedures were conducted, all of sheep were positioned by assistants into a sitting position so that their trunks were vertical to the ground and kept in that position for 2 min. Ultrasound examination of surgical place of uteropexy confirmed that, in all of animals, uteruses were in place of surgical procedures. All of 6 ewes included in this study lambed naturally. One of 6 sheep was sent for economic exploitation on the 14th day after lambing. At the slaughter line, the abdominal wall was evaluated at the site where the incorporative uteropexy was performed. Patho-anatomical examination revealed tissue adhesions at the junction of the uterine horn with the abdominal wall. Discussion: Postsurgical tissue adhesions develop during normal healing process of tissue. According to our knowledge, previous studies do not mention effective measures that could contribute to the prevention of uterine torsion in sheep, but attention is focused on prompt diagnosis and treatment of the disease. According to the results of this study, postsurgical tissue adhesions were developed and confirmed by patho-anatomical examination in 1 sheep. Other 5 sheep were not economically exploited or sacrificed, and no studies were performed to establish the presence of postsurgical tissue adhesions. In conclusion, it could be said that incorporative uteropexy could be considered as preventive procedure in order to avoid the development of uterine torsion in ewes which have shown a history of this pathology, but also in ewes with identified risk factors for the disease. In future studies, it is necessary to identify more parameters which will contribute to identification of sheep which have high risk factors to obtain the torsion of uterus. Also, it is necessary to use non-invasive methods of clinical diagnostics, primary ultrasound diagnostic, to evaluate the area of incorporative uteropexy in order to assess newly formed tissue adhesions as well as to assess the vitality of fetus. It is necessary to follow the lambing process of ewes with incorporated uterus, and to provide medical assistance to the animals if complications occur during the lambing time.

Findings of antibodies to Mycoplasma suis on swine farms in Serbia / Findings of antibodies to Mycoplasma suis on swine farms in Serbia

Background: Hemoplasmas are eperythrocytic procaryotes, including Mycoplasma species which were recently transferred from the genera Eperythrozoon and Haemobartonella, based on their similarity of the 16S rRNA sequences, and newly identified hemotropic mycoplasmas. Eperythrozoonosis of pigs is caused by the haemotrophic bacterium M. suis, and the disease has a worldwide distribution. The disease manifests as a severe and often fatal acute febrile icteroanemia, mainly in piglets, pregnant sows before parturition and fattening pigs exposed to stress. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of IgG to M. suis in swine populations in Serbia, using a Western Blot test with the recombinant protein MSG1. Materials, Methods & Results: Four farms were chosen to represent the main swine-producing geographic regions of Serbia, including South Baka District (farms 1 and 2), North Baka District (farm 3) and Branievo District (farm 4). A total of forty-six clinically healthy pigs, age 8-20 weeks, were included in the study. Blood samples from pigs randomly selected from the four farms were collected by jugular vein puncture into serum vacutainer tubes with clot activator. After clotting at room temperature for 1 h, blood samples were centrifuged at 1500 g, for 15 min at room temperature. Sera were carefully harvested and stored at -20C until assayed. The sera samples

Background: Hemoplasmas are eperythrocytic procaryotes, including Mycoplasma species which were recently transferred from the genera Eperythrozoon and Haemobartonella, based on their similarity of the 16S rRNA sequences, and newly identified hemotropic mycoplasmas. Eperythrozoonosis of pigs is caused by the haemotrophic bacterium M. suis, and the disease has a worldwide distribution. The disease manifests as a severe and often fatal acute febrile icteroanemia, mainly in piglets, pregnant sows before parturition and fattening pigs exposed to stress. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of IgG to M. suis in swine populations in Serbia, using a Western Blot test with the recombinant protein MSG1. Materials, Methods & Results: Four farms were chosen to represent the main swine-producing geographic regions of Serbia, including South Baka District (farms 1 and 2), North Baka District (farm 3) and Branievo District (farm 4). A total of forty-six clinically healthy pigs, age 8-20 weeks, were included in the study. Blood samples from pigs randomly selected from the four farms were collected by jugular vein puncture into serum vacutainer tubes with clot activator. After clotting at room temperature for 1 h, blood samples were centrifuged at 1500 g, for 15 min at room temperature. Sera were carefully harvested and stored at -20C until assayed. The sera samples

Findings of antibodies to Mycoplasma suis on swine farms in Serbia

Background: Hemoplasmas are eperythrocytic procaryotes, including Mycoplasma species which were recently transferred from the genera Eperythrozoon and Haemobartonella, based on their similarity of the 16S rRNA sequences, and newly identified hemotropic mycoplasmas. Eperythrozoonosis of pigs is caused by the haemotrophic bacterium M. suis, and the disease has a worldwide distribution. The disease manifests as a severe and often fatal acute febrile icteroanemia, mainly in piglets, pregnant sows before parturition and fattening pigs exposed to stress. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of IgG to M. suis in swine populations in Serbia, using a Western Blot test with the recombinant protein MSG1. Materials, Methods & Results: Four farms were chosen to represent the main swine-producing geographic regions of Serbia, including South Backa District (farms 1 and 2), North Backa District (farm 3) and Branicevo District (farm 4). A total of forty-six clinically healthy pigs, age 8-20 weeks, were included in the study. Blood samples from pigs randomly selected from the four farms were collected by jugular vein puncture into serum vacutainer tubes with clot activator. After clotting at room temperature for 1 h, blood samples were centrifuged at 1500 g, for 15 min at room temperature. Sera were carefully harvested and stored at -20°C until assayed. The sera samples were tested by the Western Blot test with recombinant protein MSG1 (p40). Production of recombinant protein MSG1 (p40), dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting were performed as previously described by Hoelzle. Specific IgG antibodies to MSG1 of M. suis were identified in 20 of the 46 samples tested, giving a total seroprevalence of 43.47%. The M. suis-specific antibody response was detected in pigs from all tested farms, within farm seroprevalences of 54.54% on farm 1; 27.27% on farm 2; 36.36% on farm 3 and 53.84% on farm 4. Discussion: Reports on the prevalence of swine infected with Mycoplasma suis in other countries are rare, but have been communicated for USA, Brazil, Japan, Portugal, China and Germany. Previously published values of the prevalence of the pigs infected with haemoplasmas in Serbia, determined through a microscopic examination of the peripheral blood smear according to Giemsa was 39% and with Acridine orange was 47%. These prevalences are similar to the overall prevalence found in this study (43.47%). In this present study, the prevalence of M. suis in the farm pigs studied in Serbia (43.47%) was higher than the serological evidence of the infection reported in pigs in the USA, Brazil and Japan, but lower than the prevalence in sows in Portugal and China. In this present study, the prevalence of M. suis on the studied pig farms in Serbia (43.47%) was more similar to results obtained in Germany, where M. suis infections were detected in 79 out of 196 pig farms (40.3%) by employing a quantitative real-time LightCycler PCR. Also, M. suis was detected in 36 out of 359 wild German boars (10.03%) with similar methodology. Our seroprevalence of anti-M. suis IgG in farmed pigs is probably higher than that in wild boar because of the conditions of intensive breeding on pig farms, but perhaps this may also be partly due to the different geographic locality, and/or to different analytical methods. This overall determined seroprevalence of 43.47% from a small sample within a relatively small area suggests a signifi cantly higher presence of infection on pig farms in Serbia, and hence, significantly more economic losses in pig production than could be expected based on the worldwide reports of M. suis prevalence.

Findings of antibodies to Mycoplasma suis on swine farms in Serbia / Findings of antibodies to Mycoplasma suis on swine farms in Serbia

Background: Hemoplasmas are eperythrocytic procaryotes, including Mycoplasma species which were recently transferred from the genera Eperythrozoon and Haemobartonella, based on their similarity of the 16S rRNA sequences, and newly identified hemotropic mycoplasmas. Eperythrozoonosis of pigs is caused by the haemotrophic bacterium M. suis, and the disease has a worldwide distribution. The disease manifests as a severe and often fatal acute febrile icteroanemia, mainly in piglets, pregnant sows before parturition and fattening pigs exposed to stress. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of IgG to M. suis in swine populations in Serbia, using a Western Blot test with the recombinant protein MSG1. Materials, Methods & Results: Four farms were chosen to represent the main swine-producing geographic regions of Serbia, including South Baka District (farms 1 and 2), North Baka District (farm 3) and Branievo District (farm 4). A total of forty-six clinically healthy pigs, age 8-20 weeks, were included in the study. Blood samples from pigs randomly selected from the four farms were collected by jugular vein puncture into serum vacutainer tubes with clot activator. After clotting at room temperature for 1 h, blood samples were centrifuged at 1500 g, for 15 min at room temperature. Sera were carefully harvested and stored at -20C until assayed. The sera samples

Background: Hemoplasmas are eperythrocytic procaryotes, including Mycoplasma species which were recently transferred from the genera Eperythrozoon and Haemobartonella, based on their similarity of the 16S rRNA sequences, and newly identified hemotropic mycoplasmas. Eperythrozoonosis of pigs is caused by the haemotrophic bacterium M. suis, and the disease has a worldwide distribution. The disease manifests as a severe and often fatal acute febrile icteroanemia, mainly in piglets, pregnant sows before parturition and fattening pigs exposed to stress. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of IgG to M. suis in swine populations in Serbia, using a Western Blot test with the recombinant protein MSG1. Materials, Methods & Results: Four farms were chosen to represent the main swine-producing geographic regions of Serbia, including South Baka District (farms 1 and 2), North Baka District (farm 3) and Branievo District (farm 4). A total of forty-six clinically healthy pigs, age 8-20 weeks, were included in the study. Blood samples from pigs randomly selected from the four farms were collected by jugular vein puncture into serum vacutainer tubes with clot activator. After clotting at room temperature for 1 h, blood samples were centrifuged at 1500 g, for 15 min at room temperature. Sera were carefully harvested and stored at -20C until assayed. The sera samples