Collection and freezing of equine epididymal spermatozoa

The epididymis and vas deferens store an important number of fertile spermatozoa called the extragonadal sperm reserves. These stored spermatozoa can be collected in an ultimate attempt to preserve viable spermatozoa of a critically ill or dying stallion. Epididymides are collected via routine castration. After cooled transport of the testicles and epididymides, spermatozoa are collected either by retrograde flushing or by the float-up method. Retrograde flushing usually results in a much higher sperm yield and is considered the method of choice. Epididymal spermatozoa can be frozen using standard freezing protocols

Oviductal and uterine leiomyomata in mares

This paper describes a case of a sessile uterine leiomyoma in a 17-year-old chronic infertile Selle Francais mare. The mass was removed by transendoscopic electrocoagulation. In the same period, 725 mares were screened for oviductal and uterine solid masses in a slaughterhouse survey. Two uterine masses and one oviductal mass were detected in three different mares. Histological and immunohistochemical examination revealed leiomyoma in the four masses. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of an oviductal leiomyoma in a mare

Twisting of mummified remains around the umbilical cord as a potential risk of delayed twin reduction in the mare

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Uterine torsion in the mare: a review and three case reports

When a mare exhibits signs of colic during the last trimester of gestation, uterine torsion should always be part of the differential diagnosis. Uterine torsion is an infrequently occurring but serious complication in pregnant mares. In this article a review is given of the appearance, causes, symptoms, diagnostic examinations, treatment options and prognosis for the mare, as well as for her foal. At the end, three unusual cases are described

Semen donation and establishment of an open canine semen bank : a novel tool to prevent inbreeding in pedigree dogs

At present, only 5% of pedigree dogs is being used for breeding. To increase the number of breeding dogs, one solution could be to start a canine semen bank based on the principle of semen donation, like in humans. Many dog owners have no desire to become dog breeders but are willing to preserve the genetic material of their dog, if offered this possibility. However, not all canine ejaculates are suitable for cryopreservation as the initial quality may differ and the resistance of sperm cells to survive the freezing procedure is highly variable. In order to freeze the semen of as many male dogs as possible, it is important to optimize and individualize the cryopreservation protocol per ejaculate. Practically, frozen semen can be stored in the Canlfreeze-semen bank or in veterinary practices adjacent to the owner of the bitch and can be used for insemination at a later time

Characterization and profiling of immunomodulatory genes of equine mesenchymal stromal cells from non-invasive sources

Introduction: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been extensively studied for their promising capabilities in regenerative medicine. Although bone marrow is the best-known source for isolating equine MSCs, non-invasive alternative sources such as umbilical cord blood (UCB), umbilical cord matrix (UCM), and peripheral blood (PB) have also been reported. Methods: Equine MSCs from three non-invasive alternative sources were isolated from six individual mares (PB) and their foals (UCB and UCM) at parturition. To minimize inter-horse variability, the samples from the three sources were matched within the same mare and for UCB and UCM even within the same foal from that specific mare. The following parameters were analyzed: (i) success rate of isolation, (ii) proliferation capacity, (iii) tri-lineage differentiation ability, (iv) immunophenotypical protein, and (v) immunomodulatory mRNA profiles. Linear regression models were fit to determine the association between the source of MSCs (UCB, UCM, PB) and (i) the moment of first observation, (ii) the moment of first passage, (iii) cell proliferation data, (iv) the expression of markers related to cell immunogenicity, and (v) the mRNA profile of immunomodulatory factors, except for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) as no normal distribution could be obtained for the latter variable. To evaluate the association between the source of MSCs and the mRNA expression of HGF, the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was performed instead. Results: While equine MSCs could be isolated from all the UCB and PB samples, isolation from UCM was successful in only two samples because of contamination issues. Proliferation data showed that equine MSCs from all three sources could be easily expanded, although UCB-derived MSCs appeared significantly faster in culture than PB- or UCM-derived MSCs. Equine MSCs from both UCB and PB could be differentiated toward the osteo-, chondro-, and adipogenic lineage, in contrast to UCM-derived MSCs in which only chondro-and adipogenic differentiation could be confirmed. Regardless of the source, equine MSCs expressed the immunomodulatory genes CD40, CD80, HGF, and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF beta). In contrast, no mRNA expression was found for CD86, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha). Conclusions: Whereas UCM seems less feasible because of the high contamination risks and low isolation success rates, UCB seems a promising alternative MSC source, especially when considering allogeneic MSC use

Gelokaliseerde steatitis als complicatie na dystokie bij een merrie

In this article, a case of localized steatitis is reported at the level of the perivaginal adipose tissue after dystocia in a mare. Although the mare initially recovered well postpartum, she died a few days later. At the second consultation, a knobby bump was present at both sides of the vaginal wall on vaginal examination. The intravaginal opening of these bumps was associated with the outflow of pus containing yellow-brown pieces of necrotic adipose tissue. Later on, steatitis at the level of the ligamentae vesicae and a bladder rupture were also observed at necropsy. These disorders probably accelerated the clinical symptoms resulting in shock. Generally, two types of steatitis are differentiated: localized and generalized steatitis. While only one fat depot is affected in the localized form, the disease involves several fat depots in the generalized form. Localized steatitis at the level of the perivaginal adipose tissue has not yet been described in the horse

Ovarian teratoma in the mare: a review and two cases

A 4-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare suffering from pelvic flexure impaction was diagnosed with a teratoma of the left ovary. The enlarged ovary was identified several days after treatment of the impaction. Surgical removal of the affected ovary was performed and histo pathological examination confirmed the presence of a teratoma. The features of another ovarian teratoma, which was an accidental finding at slaughter, are also described