Failure of Pregnancy Rob Foster VetReproPath.com The Circle of - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Female Theriogenology Clinical conditions associated with pregnancy Failure of Pregnancy Rob Foster VetReproPath.com

The Circle of Reproductive Life* Genital pathology Diseases of Sexual Oestrus Cycle Conception Development Embryonic ‘ From the day we arrive on the Perinatal planet mortality And blinking, step into the sun mortality There's more to be seen than can ever be seen Birth Attachment More to do than can ever be done’ * Stillbirth Fetal development Abortion, Maceration, Mummification * “Circle of Life” Music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, Performed by Elton John

Lectures Common and important diseases  CourseLink convention  Presentation  Required reading  Optional material 

References  Veterinary Reproductive Pathology website (http://www.vetrepropath.com)  Books  Pathological Basis of Veterinary Disease  Maxie’s; Jubb Kennedy and Palmer. Pathology of Domestic Animals.

Failure of Pregnancy The trilogy Infectious Mother Lesions Fetus No lesions Placenta Noninfectious Lesions No lesions

FOP – Infectious (with lesions) Uterotropic organisms Utero = womb or belly; -tropic from Greek Tropicus - belonging

Abortogenic/uterotropic agents common to all species • Bacteria • Mycoplasmas • Brucella • Mycoplasma • Campylobacter • Ureaplasma • Leptospira • Protozoa • Listeria • Neospora caninum • Salmonella • Toxoplasma gondii • Chlamydia • Viruses • Coxiella • Herpesvirus

Stages of pregnancy and failure  Embryonic mortality  conceptus, embryo  Abortion  fetus  Maceration  Mummification  Stillbirth  Perinatal mortality

Embryonic Death  Infectious  Usually see early embryonic mortality  Specific pathogens  Nonspecific pathogens – post partum or post breeding endometritis  Noninfectious  Usually see late embryonic mortality  Chromosomal abnormalities  Genetic anomalies - living cattle have traits that are heterozygous only!  Twinning  Summer heat/seasonal infertility  Suboptimal progesterone (cows, dogs, horses)  Alteration of immune profile.

Investigating a Failure of Pregnancy? • Should you investigate? • Is there really a problem? • What can be achieved? Sporadic vs outbreak • • What will you do about it? • Is there a public health issue

Results of laboratory investigation of fetus and placenta (sporadic) Species No Diagnosis (%) Horses 20 Cattle 60 Sheep 60 Goats 52 Pigs 53

Failure of Pregnancy • Principles • Infectious or not • adequate examination • non infectious / management • Disease of the dam, fetus or placenta to explain the failure of pregnancy

How do you investigate Failure of Pregnancy – the trilogy Diagnostic procedures - consider Maternal disease Fetal disease Placental disease

Maternal disease

Examination of Dam  Herd, flock, mob, pack, clowder….  serology for infectious agents  Paired samples  Individual  vaginal cytology  vaginal culture  hematology and biochemistry

Examination of the fetus

Examination of the fetus • Has fetal growth and development been normal (how?) • nutrition • placental sufficiency • fetal disease or anomaly • Time of death prior to expulsion • Fetal distress • Dystocia - swelling of head

Time of Death  12 hr cornea cloudy  24 -36 hr bloody fluid in cavities  72 hr dehydration begins  144 mummification

Examination of the fetus • Has fetal growth and development been normal (how?) • nutrition • placental sufficiency • fetal disease • Time of death prior to expulsion • Fetal distress • Evidence of dystocia Dys = bad; Tokus - childbirth

Meconium staining

Examination of the fetus • Has fetal growth and development been normal (how?) • nutrition • placental sufficiency • fetal disease • Time of death prior to expulsion • Fetal distress • Evidence of dystocia

Dystocia

Mummification  Horse - twinning  Cow – BVD virus infection  Cat - torsion of horn  Dog - canine herpesvirus  Pig - porcine parvovirus Mummify = to dry or shrivel up

Maceration Macerate = to soften or separate into parts by steeping in a liquid.

Examination of the placenta

Examination of placenta  Non-lesion lesions  Most important!  Lesions due to infection  Relevance of infection

General approach to Failure of Pregnancy  Should you investigate?  Is there a problem?  What are the expectations  What will be done about it?  Public health issue - Zoonosis  How do you investigate?  Quarantine  Infectious or noninfectious / examine Dam, Fetus, Placenta