Observations on oetrus and the oestrous cycle in the marsupials Isoodon Macrourus and Perameles nasuta

1976 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 513 ◽  
Author(s):  
AG Lyne

Observations have been made on oestrus and the oestrous cycle in the bandicoots I. macrourus and P. nasuta caged indoors. Oestrus was diagnosed from a number of criteria, particularly the sexual behaviour of the males. Attempted matings, non-fertile matings and matings leading to pregnancy were restricted to one day of the oestrous cycle, except on one occasion when a male I. macrourus attempted to mate on two consecutive days. The lips of the urogenital opening of the female were usually greatly swollen at oestrus but pouch changes at this time were not detected. Vaginal smears at oestrus usually showed an increase in the number of partly and fully cornified epithelial cells and few, if any, polymorphonuclear leucocytes. During the winter and spring of 1972 and spring of 1973, over 1000 vaginal smears were taken from 29 P. nasuta and about 700 smears were taken from 21 I. macrourus. Information on the length of the oestrous cycle in P. nasuta, using all criteria, was obtained from only nine cycles in eight animals. The cycle length averaged 21 days but the range was from 10 to 34 days. Considerably more information on the length of the cycle was obtained from the smaller number of I. macrourus; the average length of 39 cycles in 15 animals was 20 days, the range being 9-34 days.

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 339 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. West ◽  
D. Galloway ◽  
J. Shaw ◽  
A. Trouson ◽  
M. C. J. Paris

Wild-caught female common wombats from Victoria, Australia, were studied in captivity to investigate the oestrous cycle by assessing vaginal cytology and peripheral plasma progesterone concentrations. Eight wombats, five adults (21–29 kg) and three subadults (19–23 kg), which were held for between 2 weeks and 11 months did not cycle in captivity. Their progesterone concentrations were consistently low (≤6.9 nmol L–1) and vaginal smears contained predominantly superficial epithelial cells. Three wombats (21–27 kg), held in captivity for >1 year, regularly cycled (when bodyweights exceeded 23.5 kg). Information gathered from four consecutive cycles in each of these three wombats revealed a follicular phase with low progesterone concentrations (≤6.9 nmol L–1) and vaginal smears with a high percentage of superficial epithelial cells alternating with periods of high progesterone concentrations (range 41.6–123.8 nmol L–1) and smears in which parabasal–intermediate epithelial cells predominated. The average length of the monitored oestrous cycles was 47.2 days (35–60 days). The follicular phase lasted ~19 days and the luteal phase lasted ~28 days. In conclusion, wombats can cycle regularly in captivity even under conditions of intensive monitoring.


2001 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Lloyd

Wild-caught male and female H. moschatus were maintained in a captive breeding colony. Vaginal smears were taken three times a week until oestrous cycles were detected and gestation lengths approximated. Thereafter, smears were usually taken daily when oestrus was expected. The gestation period (considered to be the number of days from the detection of sperm in the smear until the day young were found in the pouch) was found to last 19 days. Sperm were usually detected in the smear two days before the influx of semi-cornified and cornified epithelial cells, which occurred 17 days before parturition. A pre- or post-partum oestrus was not detected and females did not return to oestrus until at least 6 days after the removal of the last pouch young. H. moschatus has the shortest recorded gestation for any macropod, and gestation occupies approximately 75% of the oestrous cycle. The reproductive physiology of H. moschatus is similar to that of most phalangerids, which may be indicative of a common ancestor.


1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 547 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Duckworth ◽  
S. Scobie ◽  
D. E. Jones ◽  
L. Selwood

Reproductive data were collected from captive brushtail possums, Trichosurus vulpecula, by examining daily urine samples for the presence of non-keratinised and keratinised epithelial cells, polymorphonuclear leucocytes, and sperm. Around the time of oestrus there was a massive increase in the number of epithelial cells and leucocytes in urine. The pattern of cell shedding was similar in mated and non-mated females undergoing either spontaneous ovulations or those induced by removal of pouch young. There was no difference between fertile or non-fertile oestrous cycles. During the 2-month sampling period, 97% of females showed changes in cell numbers indicative of oestrus and 72% of females were confirmed to have been mated by the presence of sperm. Conception rate was 74% and offspring were born 16–19 days after mating. When pouch young were removed, 85% of females were mated 7–15 days later and 77% of mated females produced pouch young. Compared with vaginal smears, collection and examination of urine was easier and faster, only one animal handler was required, the method was less stressful for the possum, and cell types in the sample were scored directly without the need for fixation and staining.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (11) ◽  
pp. 1412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyce M. Swinbourne ◽  
Stephen D. Johnston ◽  
Tina Janssen ◽  
Alan Lisle ◽  
Tamara Keeley

Southern hairy-nosed wombats (SHNWs: Lasiorhinus latifrons) do not breed well in captivity. To better understand their reproduction, daily urine samples were collected from nine captive females and analysed for volume (mL), specific gravity and a qualitative index of the number of epithelial cells, then stored at −20°C until samples could be analysed for progesterone metabolites (P4M). The mean oestrous cycle length was 35.1 ± 2.4 days; however, individual cycle length ranged from 23 to 47 days. The mean luteal phase length was 20.8 ± 1.3 days (range: 12 to 33 days). Urinary P4M was divided into four oestrous cycle stages: (1) early follicular phase, (2) late follicular phase, (3) early luteal phase, (4) late luteal phase, and analysed against urinary characteristics. During the late follicular phase, urine volume decreased (P = 0.002) while urine specific gravity (P = 0.001) and concentration of epithelial cells (P = 0.004) both increased. The level of variability in oestrous cycle length suggests that some captive females may exhibit abnormal cycles; however, the changes in the urinary characteristics associated with the different stages of the oestrous cycle appear to offer a possible non-invasive means of monitoring the reproductive status of captive SHNWs.


1991 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-61
Author(s):  
T. L. Taljaard ◽  
S. J. Terblanche ◽  
H. J. Bertschinger ◽  
L. J. Van Vuuren

This investigation was designed to determine whether or not the technique of intrauterine insemination affects the length of the subsequent oestrous cycle. Dorper ewes (n=31) were divided into treatment and control groups. All the ewes were synchronised using 40 mg fluorogestone acetate intravaginal sponges for 14 d and 300 IU pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin on the day of sponge removal. A standard semen diluent was deposited laparoscopically in each uterine horn of ewes in the treatment, group. Teaser rams were used to detect oestrus. Progesterone profiles were used to confirm oestrus. The mean oestrous cycle length of 17,83 ± 0,69 d for the group in which the diluent was deposited by laparoscopy did not differ significantly (P0,l) from the 18,36±2,11 d of the control group. The technique of laparoscopic insemination did not influence the length of subsequent oestrous cycles.


1973 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 525-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. W. Dixon ◽  
C. J. Thwaites

SummaryTwo hundred and forty mature Merino ewes were used in a factorial experiment to investigate the effects of single injections of either 0, 40, 80 or 160 mg progesterone on the length of the subsequent oestrous cycle. Equal numbers of ewes (15 per group) received subcutaneous and intramuscular injections, and equal numbers were treated either on the day of oestrus or the following day.Oestrous cycle length was significantly reduced in all treated groups, with a minimum cycle length of 7–10 days following treatment with 80 or 160 mg progesterone. Neither route of administration nor day of treatment significantly affected the response. The conception rate achieved by treated ewes at the first post-treatment oestrus did not differ significantly from that in comparable controls.The results suggest that a single massive dose of progesterone on the day of oestrus is an effective means of shortening the oestrous cycle of the ewe without loss of fertility.


2004 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 449-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Bauersachs ◽  
S Rehfeld ◽  
SE Ulbrich ◽  
S Mallok ◽  
K Prelle ◽  
...  

The oviduct epithelium undergoes marked morphological and functional changes during the oestrous cycle. To study these changes at the level of the transcriptome we did a systematic gene expression analysis of bovine oviduct epithelial cells at oestrus and dioestrus using a combination of subtracted cDNA libraries and cDNA array hybridisation. A total of 3072 cDNA clones of two subtracted libraries were analysed by array hybridisation with cDNA probes derived from six cyclic heifers, three of them slaughtered at oestrus and three at dioestrus. Sequencing of cDNAs showing significant differences in their expression levels revealed 77 different cDNAs. Thirty-seven were expressed at a higher level at oestrus, for the other 40 genes expression levels were higher at dioestrus. The identified genes represented a variety of functional classes. During oestrus especially genes involved in the regulation of protein secretion and protein modification, and mRNAs of secreted proteins, were up-regulated, whereas during dioestrus particularly transcripts of genes involved in transcription regulation showed a slight up-regulation. The concentrations of seven selected transcripts were quantified by real-time RT-PCR to validate the cDNA array hybridisation data. For all seven transcripts, RT-PCR results were in excellent correlation (r>0.92) with the results obtained by array hybridisation. Our study is the first to analyse changes in gene expression profiles of bovine oviduct epithelial cells during different stages of the oestrous cycle, providing a starting point for the clarification of the key transcriptome changes in these cells.


1986 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 501 ◽  
Author(s):  
JE Nelson ◽  
A Goldstone
Keyword(s):  

The length of the oestrous cycle in captive Peradorcas concinna was 33.73 � 1.65 days (n = 52). Females which were dominant over other females or were alone with their young had a cycle length of about 32 days and subordinate females had a cycle length of about 35 days. Some observations on the growth of the young are presented. Weaning is very abrupt; final pouch exit occurs about 2 weeks after the first pouch exit, and is caused by the female's aggressiveness towards its young.


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