Anomalous Pregnancies during Late Embryonic/Early Foetal Period in High Producing Dairy Cows

Abstract

This study analyses anomalous cases of gestation ending in pregnancy loss during the early foetal period and their effect on progesterone and plasma pregnancy-associated glycoprotein-1 (PAG-1) concentrations. Data derived from a large-scale ultrasound pregnancy diagnosis programme in high producing dairy cows. Over a 3-year period (2004-2007), a very low incidence (0.5%: 15 of 3094) of anomalous pregnancies was recorded. The results revealed that the following anomalies were detected on days 35-41 of gestation in cows carrying singletons with one single corpus luteum: embryo death in eight cows (0.3%); and embryo in the uterine horn contralateral to the corpus luteum in seven cows (0.2%). All these animals suffered pregnancy loss during the early foetal period. In cows carrying dead embryos, no signs of conceptus degeneration were observed on pregnancy diagnosis. Amnion size (approximately 25 mm diameter) and uterine horn fluid contents were estimated to be similar to those of the normal pregnant cows in this period. In the contralateral gestations, live embryos were observed in all ultrasound checks before pregnancy loss. Uterine fluid contents increased in the two cows in which gestation continued for more than a week. In the cases of embryo death but not in those of contralateral gestation, a drop in PAG-1 levels was noted prior to pregnancy loss. Two cows carrying dead embryos increased with time allantoic fluid contents. The PAG-1 values increased with time in one cow bearing a dead embryo (from 2.31 to 6.79 ng/ml) and in two of the contralateral gestations (from 1.66 to 2.33 ng/ml and from 0.39 to 6.79 ng/ml, respectively). Results of this study indicate that the foetal membranes continue to undergo some activity following embryo death, and that contralateral pregnancy may determine failure of the gestation process.

Relationship between late embryonic mortality and the increase in plasma advanced oxidised protein products (AOPP) in dairy cows

“…If plasma PAG remained higher than the threshold on Days 45 and 60, and the presence of a viable embryo was assessed on Days 45-46 and 60-65, cows were classified as AIþ. On the contrary, when plasma PAG concentration decreased by Day 45 (Szenci et al 2003;Serrano et al 2009) and remained under the threshold on Day 60, and a viable embryo could not be detected at ultrasonography on Day 45-46, cows were classified in the EM group. Examples of P4 and PAG profiles in one EM cow, one AIÀ cow and one AIþ cow are given in Fig.…”

Purification of pregnancy-associated glycoproteins from late-pregnancy Bubalus bubalis placentas and development of a radioimmunoassay for pregnancy diagnosis in water buffalo females

“…Some of them are detected in the peripheral circulation of pregnant females, and are used as a tool to investigate placental function in ongoing or endangered pregnancies [7-9]. …”

Ultrasound and Endocrine Findings that Help to Assess the Risk of Late Embryo/Early Foetal Loss by Non‐Infectious Cause in Dairy Cattle

“…2009). All cows suffered pregnancy loss before 90 days of gestation in the latter study (Serrano et al. 2009), probably owing to the lower uterine tissue progesterone levels of the horn contralateral to the corpus luteum compared to those of the ipsilateral horn (Cerbito et al.…”

“…Although generally the corpus luteum and conceptus appear on the same side, it is also possible to find the embryo in the uterine horn contralateral to the corpus luteum (Perkins et al. 1954; Scanlon 1972; Serrano et al. 2009).…”

“…1944), 0.1% or one in 1000 (Scanlon 1972), 1.2% or four in 255 (Perkins et al. 1954), 2.3% or seven in 3094 and 0.13% or 14 in 10 605 (Serrano et al. 2009).…”