Fetal mummification in the major domestic species: current perspectives on causes and management

Abstract

Fetal mummification is an uncommon condition in most domestic species. While most often seen in multiparous and polytocous species like swine, it is also observed in monotocous species when the fetus is retained for a long time. The low prevalence of the condition may help explain the scarcity of information in the literature. To further complicate the study of this phenomenon, the physiological mechanisms that maintain pregnancy vary between species, implying different pathways for the condition. The exact outcome of early fetal mortality is unpredictable, and is influenced by several factors, including the cause of fetal mortality, differences in pregnancy between species, stage of gestation at fetal death, and number of fetuses. Based on our current knowledge of natural fetal mummification events, there are a number of prerequisites for the process of fetal mummification to occur. Examining the circumstances associated with fetal mummification can help scientists better understand the etiology and clinical situation in different species. The objective of this article is to review fetal mummification in the major domestic species: cattle, goats, sheep, horses, swine, dogs, and cats. This paper discusses the clinical situation, the most common and important etiologies, and the treatment approaches for restoring future pregnancy in the female, and where applicable, herd fertility.

Management of Fetal Mummification/Maceration Through Left Flank Caesarean Section in Cows - Study of Four Cases

“…Trans-rectal ultrasonography was performed using real-time B-mode (5.0-7.0MHz). Ultrasonographic examination showed the fetus as a compact, immobile mass without placental fluid or placentomes and absence of a heartbeat (Lefebvre , 2014) indicative of mummification. However, in animal no 3 and 4, fetal bones with remaining tissues floating in pus in uterus and a crepitating sound was experienced on per-rectal palpation.…”

Report on fetal mummification in the scalloped hammerhead shark Sphyrna lewini

“…Fetal mummification takes place when autolysis, i.e., maceration, of the dead embryos does not occur, possibly due to a rapid dehydration of the uterine environment, leading to the inhibition of bacterial activity (Drost, 2007;Kumar et al, 2018). The causes for fetal mummification are either intrinsic, such as genetic and anatomic conditions, or environmental, such as drought, contamination or infectious pathologies (Lefebvre, 2015 (Compagno, 1984). In southern and southeastern Brazilian waters, females give birth from 2 to 33 embryos measuring about 40-50 cm total length, and parturition takes place in coastal areas in mid and late summer (Motta et al, 2014;Vooren & Klippel, 2005).…”

Detection of Canine herpesvirus 1 in the breeding kennel and farm dogs by Real-time PCR

“…The virus is responsible for fetal death, abortion, mummification, or stillbirth in pregnant bitches [11]. Moreover, respiratory disease, ocular signs, and genital lesions are also documented [5, [12][13][14]. Lifelong latent infection is associated with localization of CHV-1 to nerve ganglia following recovery [1].…”