Unilateral salpingectomy in Sprague Dawley rats and its effect on litter size

Authors

  • Elizabeth G Bester University of Pretoria
  • Martin Schulman University of Pretoria
  • Robert M Kirberger University of Pretoria
  • Marthinus Hartman University of Pretoria

Abstract

The study described a novel, rapidly performed, successful and safe surgical procedure in rats to achieve a reduction in the number of conceptuses. The objectives were to investigate the total foetal count and foetal health in both uterine horns after unilateral salpingectomy compared to the control group. Sixteen female Sprague-Dawley rats (Rattus norvegicus) were allocated to the study of which 10 rats underwent unilateral salpingectomy with six controls before all 16 were mated at 8–10 weeks of age. Gestational length was taken as 22 days, determined from the day of appearance of the copulatory plug. The female rats were
terminated on day 19 or 20 of the gestational period. The foetuses in each horn were mapped and counted for comparison between the salpingectomy and control groups. The gravid uteri, individual foetal weights and placental weights were measured and compared between the two groups. This study described a novel, rapidly performed, successful and safe surgical procedure in rats. The mean number of foetuses in the salpingectomy group was significantly smaller than the control group. No significant differences in foetal and placental development were observed between the groups. These observations support future investigation of unilateral salpingectomy in other species as an alternative surgical method for population control. Keywords: salpingectomy; litter size; rat sterilisation; unilateral salpingectomy; placental weights; foetal weights.

Author Biographies

  • Elizabeth G Bester, University of Pretoria

    Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria,
    Onderstepoort, South Africa

  • Martin Schulman, University of Pretoria

    Department of Production Animal Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa

  • Robert M Kirberger, University of Pretoria

    Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria,
    Onderstepoort, South Africa

  • Marthinus Hartman, University of Pretoria

    Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria,
    Onderstepoort, South Africa

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Published

2021-12-09

Issue

Section

Original Research