Early events of canine herpesvirus 1 infections in canine respiratory and genital mucosae by the use of ex vivo models.

Canine herpesvirus 1 (CaHV-1) causes a systemic disease in newborn puppies, kennel cough at all ages and genital lesions in adult dogs. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the viral behavior during the early stage of infection in respiratory and genital mucosae, the portals of entry for CaHV-1 by the use of ex vivo explants. CaHV-1 infected and replicated in respiratory and vaginal mucosae in a plaque wise manner.

Ex vivo modeling of feline herpesvirus replication in ocular and respiratory mucosae, the primary targets of infection.

Feline herpesvirus 1 (FeHV-1) is a major cause of rhinotracheitis and ocular diseases in cats. In the present study, the viral replication at the primary infection sites was studied using feline respiratory and ocular mucosa explants. The explants of three cats were maintained in an air-liquid culture up to 96 hours without loss of viability.

Temporal detection of caspase-3 and -7 in bovine in vitro produced embryos of different developmental capacity.

Embryo quality is most frequently evaluated at the blastocyst stage, although quality parameters further back along the developmental axis, such as early developmental kinetics or oocyte quality, can be equally valuable. Despite the fact that previous studies in bovine have linked oocyte diameter and early developmental kinetics with blastocyst formation and viability, their relation with the incidence of apoptosis during embryo development remains relatively unexplored. Therefore, we related non-invasive parameters of oocyte and embryo quality, such as embryo kinetics, embryo morphology, and oocyte diameter, to the incidence of apoptosis throughout embryo development using fluorescent detection of active caspase-3 and -7.

Transmission of mouse minute virus (MMV) but not mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) following embryo transfer with experimentally exposed in vivo-derived embryos.

The present study investigated the presence and location of fluorescent microspheres having the size of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) and of mouse minute virus (MMV) in the zona pellucida (ZP) of in vivo-produced murine embryos, the transmission of these viruses by embryos during embryo transfer, and the time of seroconversion of recipients and pups. To this end, fertilized oocytes and morulae were exposed to different concentrations of MMVp for 16 h, while 2-cell embryos and blastocysts were coincubated for 1 h. In addition, morulae were exposed to MHV-A59 for 16 h.

Serum biochemical reference values for gestating and lactating sows.

Reference values have been established for serum biochemical parameters in sows from high producing pig herds. In total, 132 clinically healthy sows from eight breeding herds were serially sampled three weeks and one week before farrowing, and at one week and three weeks after farrowing. Fourteen serum biochemical parameters, focusing mainly on energy and protein metabolism, hepatobiliary and kidney function and inflammation, were investigated.

Is apoptosis in bovine in vitro produced embryos related to early developmental kinetics and in vivo bull fertility?

Although several studies have indicated a paternal effect on bovine embryo development, no conclusive data exist on the effect of in vivo bull fertility on apoptosis. Therefore, it was the main objective of this study to compare the apoptotic cell ratio (ACR) in embryos originating from bulls with different in vivo fertility. However, since it is has been demonstrated before that bulls with different in vivo fertility differ in timing of first cleavage, it was necessary to investigate first the effect of timing of development on apoptosis in vitro in order to get an unbiased insight in the contribution of in vivo bull fertility on apoptosis in bovine blastocysts.

Porcine embryo development and fragmentation and their relation to apoptotic markers: a cinematographic and confocal laser scanning microscopic study.

Porcine embryo selection prior to transfer is mainly influenced by morphological criteria. However, the relationship between embryonic morphology, developmental potential and cell death by apoptosis in porcine embryos is still unclear. The aim of this study was to establish embryo quality parameters for in vivo fertilised porcine embryos based on timing of development in vitro, embryo morphology and the presence of apoptosis.

Assessment of mammalian embryo quality: what can we learn from embryo morphology?

Embryo morphology assessment, however imperfect it may be, is at present the most popular method for embryo selection prior to transfer, both in human and bovine assisted reproduction. A major difference between human and bovine embryos is the fact that in the latter, assessment of morphology is jeopardized by the opacity of the blastomeres, which is caused by lipid droplet accumulation. This opacity makes it difficult to assess nuclear and nucleolar morphology, aspects which can easily be evaluated in human zygotes or early cleaving embryos.