Characteristics of unilateral and bilateral bovine twin foetuses.
Reprod Domest Anim
; 59(7): e14659, 2024 Jul.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38949053
ABSTRACT
Twin pregnancy in cattle is undesirable for a number of reasons, including a higher abortion risk compared to pregnancies with a single foetus. Yet, the abortion risk is significantly influenced by the intrauterine location of the foetuses, that is, the abortion risk is several times higher if they are implanted in the same uterine horn (unilateral twin pregnancy) than if they are implanted with one foetus in each uterine horn (bilateral twin pregnancy). The reason for the higher abortion risk in unilateral twin pregnancies is unknown, but it may be related to malnutrition of the outermost foetus due to a limited placental capacity, as is the case for equine twin foetuses. A slaughterhouse study was performed and the foetuses of cattle pregnant with twins were measured. We identified 65 cases of twin pregnancies, of which 35 were unilateral twin pregnancies and 30 were bilateral twin pregnancies. There was no significant difference between the outermost and the more centrally located foetus in unilateral twin pregnancies in terms of body weight and length of the metacarpal diaphysis. Growth retardation of the outermost foetus could therefore not be confirmed as the cause of the higher abortion risk in unilateral bovine twin pregnancies. Four cases of pre-slaughter foetal mortality were identified. In three of these cases, both twins were dead, of equal size and at a comparable level of degradation. In the fourth case, with approximately 40-day-old twin foetuses of equal size, only one of the foetuses showed signs of pre-slaughter death.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Aborto Veterinario
Límite:
Animals
/
Pregnancy
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Reprod Domest Anim
Asunto de la revista:
MEDICINA REPRODUTIVA
/
MEDICINA VETERINARIA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Dinamarca
Pais de publicación:
Alemania