Fetal ascites & anasarca (hydrops fetalis)

Keywords: bovine, anasarca, ascites, dystocia, heritable, neoplasia, hypoplasia, IVF, clone, cloning

Ascites: < Greek askos; "a bag of wine"
Anasarca: < ana : "throughout" & sarca: "new flesh"
Hydrops fetalis: Abnormal accumulation of fluid in two or more fetal compartments, including ascites, pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, and skin edema.

A complex subject with varying appearances and many different etiologies. Hydrops fetalis (HF) may be due to any factor/s that cause passive venous congestion i.e. intra-peritoneal or intra-thoracic neoplasia (leiomyomas, teratomas hepatoblastomas), liver cirrhosis or other liver anomalies, cardiac anomalies, pulmonic valve stenosis or dysplasia of the lungs themselves. Some of these anomalies are heritable in several breeds of cattle. As is so often the situation with abnormal calves, the calf shown below (photographed 41 years ago!) was discarded without a thorough post mortem examination. Therefore the cause of ascites in this case was unknown.

Because of its enlarged abdomen and resulting dystocia, the calf (weighing 71 kg) was delivered by cesarean. A calf with ascites can often be delivered per vagina after incising its abdomen using a finger knife and allowing the fluid to drain into the cow's uterus. The yellow staining  of the hair coat here was due to meconium discharge from the anus; a common situation during fetal distress precipitated by hypoxia.

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In the fetus below (delivered by cesarean and also discarded without a thorough postmortem examination) there was ascites as well as marked anasarca. The calf showed a multitude of musculo-skeletal deformities too.

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In fetuses produced by assisted reproductive technology (ART) i.e. cloning through nuclear transfer (NT) and in vitro fertilization (IVF), pregnancy failure is common and many abnormalities have been described in calves, lambs and human babies produced through ART. The most striking of these is the so called "Large offspring syndrome" where newborn babies, calves and lambs can be several times their normal weight at birth. Cardiac, kidney, hepatic and pulmonary abnormalities have been described in these cases. In addition, angiogenesis itself can be abnormal, leading to increased permeability of blood vessels in the fetus and fetal membranes.

In the case shown below, the calf was a product of IVF and abortion occurred at 7 months of gestation. There was severe ascites and anasarca (HF) as well as hydrops amnion and allantois. The case is discussed in more detail in another LORI entry, featuring a video. In that video, the author suggests that genetic alterations may occur in these cases as a result of culture conditions. However, current information shows that the abnormalities manifested in cases of IVF and NT are largely epigenetic in nature.

The calf weight 56Kg; well in excess of the 8 to 18Kg range for a fetus of this gestational age. Meconium staining of the hair coat is obvious in this case as well.

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Pitting edema (below) was present over the entire surface of the calf and its fetal membranes.

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Subcutaneous edema is visible here, in the upper left inset. At lower right, a stream of ascitic fluid  is being released from the abdomen. Readers are encouraged to view the teaching video mentioned above to appreciate the nuances of this case.

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In conclusion, ascites, anasarca, placental edema, hydrops allantois and hydrops amnion are common manifestations of  various conditions that may or may nor be related to one another.

Selected references:

Alberto, M.L.V. et al. 2012. Development of bovine embryos derived from reproductive techniques, Reproduction, Fertility and Development. 25: 907-917

Baraya, Y.S. et al. 2015. Dystocia associated with foetal anasarca (hydrops fetalis) in a Nigerian breed of sheep; Case report. Proceedings: Sixth Pan Commonwealth Vet.Conf.of the CVA and 27th Vet. Assn. Malasia Conf. 519-522

Buchanan, J.W. 2001. Pathogenesis of single right coronary artery and pulmonic stenosis in English Bulldogs. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 15: 101-104

Chen, Z et al. 2013. Large offspring syndrome. A bovine model for the human loss-of-imprinting overgrowth syndrome Beckwith-Wiedemann. Epigenetics 8:591–601

De Vries, C. et al 2012. Congenital ascites due to hepatoblastoma with extensive peritoneal implantation metastases in a premature equine fetus. J. Comp. Path. 2012, 148: 69-69

Drost, M. 2007. Complications during gestation in the cow. Theriogenology. 68: 487-491

Edwards, J.L. et al. 2003. Cloning adult farm animals: A review of the possibilities and problems associated with somatic cell nuclear transfer. A. J. Reprod. Immunology. 50: 113-123

Golladay, E.S. and Mollit, D.L. 1984. Surgically correctable fetal hydrops. J.Pediatric Surgery.19: 59-62

Pinborg, A. et al. 2014. Large baby syndrome in singletons born after frozen embryo transfer (FET): is it due to maternal factors or the cryotechnique? Hum. Reprod. 9: 618-27

Pushp, M.K. et al. 2016. Dystocia in a non-descript cow due to ascetic fetus- a case report. J. Livestock Sci 7: 62-64

Rheuban, K.S. et al. 1991. Intrapericardial teratoma causing nonimmune hydrops fetalis and pericardial tamponade: A case report. Pediatric Cardiology. 12: 54–56

Roberts, S.J. 1986. Veterinary obstetrics and genital diseases. Diagnosis and treatment of various types of dystocia. pp 333-335. Published by the author, S.J. Roberts.

Sasaki S. et al. 2016. A missense mutation in solute carrier family 12, member 1 (SLC12A1) causes hydrallantois in Japanese Black cattle BMC Genomics 17:724 739

Svara, T. et al. 2016. Pulmonary hypoplasia and anasarca syndrome in Cika cattle. Acta Vet. Scand. 58: 36-40

Testoni, S.et al. 2009. Congenital facial deformities, ascites and hepatic fibrosis in Romagnola calves. Vet.Rec. 164: 693-694

Walker, S.K. et al. 1996. The production of unusually large offspring following embryo manipulation; concepts and challenges. Theriogenology 45: 11l-120 

Whitlock, B.K. et al. 2008. Heritable bovine fetal abnormalities. Theriogenology. 70: 535-549

Windsor, P.A. et al. 2006. Hydrops fetalis associated with pulmonary hypoplasia in Dexter calves.

Australian Vet. J. 84: 278-281

Young, L.E. et al. 1998. Large offspring syndrome in cattle and sheep. Reviews of reproduction. 3: 155-163

Hydrops and fetal death after IVF; a video

Keywords: hydrops, abortion, IVF, bovine

Click on this link to play the video (Resolution best on smaller screens).

Notes: 

It is sometimes difficult or impossible to obtain embryos from super ovulated cows. In these animals, in vitro fertilization (IVF) can bypass this problem. IVF also holds promise for research and the production of embryos when oocytes are not available. For example, the production of embryos from stem cells may even be possible. By contrast, the advantages of cloning are perhaps obvious. Sometimes cloning is done through the use of blastomeres, but more often nowadays through the use of nuclear transfer from somatic cells.

Unfortunately serious complications can arise when either IVF or cloning is used. These problems include early embryonic death, abortion, excess of fetal size, hydrops of the fetal membranes, skeletal fractures, a high incidence of neonatal death and increased death rate in the early years of life. These problems are more accentuated in cloning than IVF, but even in IVF, problems such as hydrops occur far more frequently than in natural pregnancies.

In this case, IVF was done only after repeated attempts to collect embryos had failed using conventional methods.

Arthrogryposis and placental edema in an IVF calf

Keywords: Arthrogryposis, bovine, IVF, AM, Akabane, lupin

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Arthrogryposis (< Greek meaning "crooked joint") in a Holstein calf obtained through in vitro fertilization (IVF).

The cause of arthrogryposis in this case was not determined and the author is not aware of any reported association between IVF and arthrogryposis. However it is well known that infection by the Akabane and Schmallenburg viruses in all ruminants may cause arthrogryposis. It is also seen when pregnant animals have ingested lupines.

A recessive genetic condition known as Arthrogryposis Multiplex (AM) or “Curly Calf Syndrome” exists in Angus cattle where calves that are homozygous for the AM gene show arthrogryposis.

Interestingly, this calf also showed unusual placental edema, especially in the chorion. In the image below, there appears to be a collection of fluid between the chorion and allantois.

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However, the following image shows that this is not free fluid between the chorion. Instead, the fluid resides within the chorion itself, in the form of edema.

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Placental anomalies have been described in IVF calves before. An interesting case of hydrops of the fetal membranes can be found elsewhere in LORI.  Also, placental anomalies in IVF calves are briefly reviewed in a paper by R. MacDonald: 2011. Hydrops in a heifer as a result of in-vitro fertilization. Can Vet J ;52:791–793.

Hydrops in a cow

Keywords:  hydrops, bovine, cow, IVF, cloning, allantois, amnion

A cow with both hydrops amnion and allantois, showing her enlarged abdomen. It is sometimes stated that hydrops amnion develops slowly and in the presence of an abnormal calf. In the case of hydrops allantois, some maintain that the hydroptic condition develops more rapidly and the calf is usually normal. However there is often overlap between the two conditions with hydrops developing in both fetal placental compartments. Hydrops has become more common in cattle with the advent of in vitro fertilization and cloning.

In Japanese Black cattle it has been shown that hydrops allantois can be associated with a recessive gene coding for hydronephrosis and polyuria; this results is hydrops allantois.

Selected reference:

Sasaki S. et al. 2016. A missense mutation in solute carrier family 12, member 1 (SLC12A1) causes hydrallantois in Japanese Black cattle BMC Genomics 17:724 739