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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Equine Sci / Aborted fetal sizes of Thoroughbred horses in Hidaka, Japan,...
Journal of equine science2017; 28(2); 47-53; doi: 10.1294/jes.28.47

Aborted fetal sizes of Thoroughbred horses in Hidaka, Japan, between 2005 and 2015.

Abstract: The degree of fetal growth restriction has been unclear in equine reproduction. In this study, 2,195 fetuses from 2,137 abortions during 11 seasons were examined to determine the causes of abortion, and fetal size dimensions (crown rump length and body weight) were measured. In total, 900 cases (42.1%) of abortion were identified as caused by viral infection (215, 10.1%), bacterial infection (156, 7.3%), fungal infection (25, 1.2%), circulation failure (406, 19.0%), multiple causes (66, 3.1%), deformity (13, 0.6%), placental abnormality (12, 0.6%), and other causes (7, 0.3%). All viral infections originated from equine herpes virus. Of all abortions, 94.3% occurred between 181-360 days of pregnancy, and the gestational ages at abortion were different based on the causes. Fetal sizes in viral abortions were considerably larger than those due to other reasons. Compared with viral infection, the crown rump length size dimension of fetuses aborted from multiple and fungal infection was affected. In addition, bacterial infection, circulation failure, and unknown causes of abortions also contributed to growth restriction in terms of body weight. In conclusion, the present study showed details of equine abortion and the relationships between causes of abortion and fetal size. Most of the aborted fetuses showed restrictions in their growth. The manifestations of growth restriction were more related to weight than skeletal length.
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Publication Date: 2017-07-06 PubMed ID: 28721123PubMed Central: PMC5506449DOI: 10.1294/jes.28.47Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research was centered on understanding the reasons behind horse abortions in Hidaka, Japan, from 2005 to 2015, and how these reasons affected the size of the aborted fetuses. The research found that most abortions happened between the 181st and 360th days of pregnancy, and that viral infections caused larger fetuses when compared to other causes.

Study Methodology

  • The study examined 2,195 fetuses from 2,137 abortions that happened across 11 seasons. They measured the fetuses for crown rump length and body weight, which they then used these measurements to determine the degree of growth restriction of the fetus.
  • The researchers also investigated the causes of abortion, which included different pathogens like viral, bacterial, fungal infections, and other reasons like circulation failure, multiple causes, deformity, placental abnormality, and unknown causes.

Study Findings

  • Most abortions (42.1%) were caused by viral infections, specifically equine herpes virus. Other significant causes included circulation failure (19.0%), bacterial infection (7.3%), and multiple causes (3.1%).
  • Most of the abortions occurred later in the pregnancy, specifically between the 181-360 days. The gestational ages at which abortion occurred varied depending on the cause.
  • Contrary to other causes of abortions, fetuses aborted due to viral infections were significantly larger. In comparison, fetuses aborted due to multiple causes and fungal infections had notable differences in their crown rump length size, while bacterial infection, circulation failure and unknown causes contributed to a reduced body weight.

Conclusion

  • The study concluded that majority of abortions showed that the aborted fetuses had restricted growth. Such growth restriction was more apparent in terms of body weight than skeletal length.
  • The research helped forge a clearer understanding of abortion in horses and its influence on the size of the aborted fetus. It also shed light on the association between the cause of abortion and the fetal size.

Cite This Article

APA
Murase H, Miyazawa M, Harada T, Ozawa M, Sato F, Hada T. (2017). Aborted fetal sizes of Thoroughbred horses in Hidaka, Japan, between 2005 and 2015. J Equine Sci, 28(2), 47-53. https://doi.org/10.1294/jes.28.47

Publication

Journal of equine science
ISSN: 1340-3516
NlmUniqueID: 9503751
Country: Japan
Language: English
Volume: 28
Issue: 2
Pages: 47-53

Researcher Affiliations

Murase, Harutaka
  • Equine Science Division, Hidaka Training and Research Center, Japan Racing Association, Hokkaido 057-0171, Japan.
Miyazawa, Masaki
  • Hokkaido Hidaka Livestock Hygiene Service Center, Hokkaido 056-0003, Japan.
Harada, Takehiro
  • Hokkaido Hidaka Livestock Hygiene Service Center, Hokkaido 056-0003, Japan.
Ozawa, Midori
  • Hokkaido Hidaka Livestock Hygiene Service Center, Hokkaido 056-0003, Japan.
Sato, Fumio
  • Equine Science Division, Hidaka Training and Research Center, Japan Racing Association, Hokkaido 057-0171, Japan.
Hada, Tetsuro
  • Equine Science Division, Hidaka Training and Research Center, Japan Racing Association, Hokkaido 057-0171, Japan.

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Citations

This article has been cited 7 times.
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