1. Morphometric analysis of growth retardation in fetal lambs following experimental infection of pregnant ewes with border disease virus.
- Author
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Caffrey JF, Dudgeon AM, Donnelly WJ, Sheahan BJ, and Atkins GJ
- Subjects
- Animals, Antibodies, Monoclonal analysis, Antibodies, Monoclonal immunology, Antibodies, Viral analysis, Antibodies, Viral immunology, Antigens, Viral analysis, Antigens, Viral immunology, Border Disease immunology, Border Disease virology, Border disease virus immunology, Border disease virus isolation & purification, Embryonic and Fetal Development physiology, Female, Fetal Growth Retardation physiopathology, Fetal Growth Retardation virology, Gestational Age, Growth Plate cytology, Growth Plate embryology, Growth Plate growth & development, Immunohistochemistry, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Infectious physiopathology, Pregnancy Complications, Infectious virology, Radiography, Sheep, Sheep Diseases virology, Tibia diagnostic imaging, Tibia embryology, Tibia growth & development, Border Disease physiopathology, Border disease virus physiology, Fetal Growth Retardation veterinary, Pregnancy Complications, Infectious veterinary, Sheep Diseases physiopathology
- Abstract
The onset of growth retardation was investigated in fetal lambs following experimental infection of pregnant ewes with Border Disease virus (BDV) on day 53 of pregnancy. Fetuses from control and infected ewes were harvested at weekly intervals between day 60 and day 95 of gestation and morphometric studies were completed on tibial radiographs and tibial growth cartilage metaphyseal junctions. Mean tibial areas were significantly reduced (P < 0.01) in fetuses from infected ewes at 35 and 42 days after infection and growth cartilage metaphyseal junctions were less mature in fetuses from infected ewes at 42 days after infection. Positive immunostaining for BDV antigen was demonstrated in the brains of all fetuses from infected ewes between 14 and 42 days after infection. Attempts to demonstrate BDV antigen in bone proved unsuccessful. It is concluded that intrauterine growth retardation is an early manifestation of BDV infection in lambs and that the process is initiated shortly following infection of the fetus.
- Published
- 1997
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