(Preeclampsia)

1.

Human Disease:

Characterized By - hypertension, proteinuria and edema.

Develops in 6% of pregnancies.

2.

Animal Disease:

Experimental In - sheep, rabbits, dogs, non-human primates and

guinea pigs.

C.

Osteoarthritis

1.

Human Disease:

Mechanical Erosion - of articular surfaces of

moveable joints.

2.

Animal Disease:

Guinea Pigs - naturally occurring articular

eburnation in femorotibial joints and scapulo-

humeral joints.

Experimental Induction - of arthritic-like

disease in guinea

pigs by injection of

histamine; chronic changes resembled

human

arthritis.X.

Nervous

A.

Demyelinating Optic Neuritis (Model 1 #166 in Fascicles)

1. Human Disease:

Seen In - multiple sclerosis; chronic, with

remissions and relapses.

Pathogenesis - focal primary demyelination, glial

plaques,

per#vasculitis with lipid-laden

macrophages.

2.

Animal Disease:

Experimental - in juvenile Strain 13 guinea pigs

by intra-

dermal injection of guinea pig spinal cord

suspensions with

Freund's adjuvant.

Similar Lesion - to man except no lipid-laden

macrophages

present.

B.

Anopthalmia

Anophthalmos is prevalent as an inherited trait in an actively

reproducing stock of guinea pigs.

Forty-three matings of bilaterally

anophthalmic boars and sows.produced 113 offspring, 93 (82.3%) of

which were bilaterally anophthalmic.

Nervous tissue changes included

absence of the optic nerves and optic tracts, as well as hypoplasia

of related oculovisual structures (lateral geniculate bodies and

superior colliculi) within the brain.

The optic canals and orbits of

the bony skull were small.

Anophthalmic guinea pigs demonstrated

In Guinea Pigs - uterine arteries are banded and the ovarian

arteries are transected prior to conception.

Animals Manifest - hypertension, proteinuria, and elevated

creatinine levels without edema.IX.

Musculoskeletal

A.

Polydactyly - Supernumerary Digits on Hands or Feet

1.

Human Disease:

Most forms inherited as a dominant trait.

2.

2.

Animal Disease:

Normal Guinea Pig - four toes on front feet; three

toes on the hind feet.

Px/+ heterozygote - have missing digits .restored so feet are

pentadactylous.

Px/Px homozygote - polydactylism is extreme - ten toes per foot,

also skeletal and visceral anomalies with high mortality at an

early age.

B.

Achondroplasia

1.

Human Disease:

Dominantly Inherited - short-limbed dwarfism characterized by a

disproportionately large head with a depressed nasal bridge and

frontal bossing, and short and stubby hands and feet.

2.

Animal Disease:

Numerous Animal Models - in many species of inherited achon-

droplasia.

In Guinea Pigs - disproportionate dwarfism occurs as a sublethal

recessive trait characterized by a very short skull base, a

short jaw and very short and thick long bones, with reduced

growth rate postnatally.

normal breeding behavior and reproduced

satisfactorily.

Birth weights and growth curves

were comparableto normal values, and longevity

was unaffected.

It isanticipated that this stock

of guinea pigs will provide thescientific

community with a new laboratory animal model. 1

C.

Sporadic Deaf-Mutism

1.

Human Disease:

Autosomal Recessive Trait - associated with defects such as

retinitis pigmentosa, imbecility, and skeletal anomalies.

Two Types - primary degeneration of cochleal duct, or primary

degeneration of spiral ganglion.

2.

Animal Disease:

Two Independent Mutants - causing "waltzing'' or circling

behavior in guinea pigs. (wz and wtz)

wz Mutation - autosomal dominant with full penetrance and lethal

in the homozygote; normal at birth followed by atrophy of the

cellular elements of the organ of Corti, with subsequent cochlar

neuronal atrophy.

wtz - autosomal recessive characterized by progressive de-

generation of organ of corti, cochlear nerve and spiral ganglia

cells, and manifested by circling deafness and head tremors

becoming more pronounced with age.XI.

Integumentary

A.

Acute Contact Dermatitis

1. Human Disease:

Contact irritants such as synthetic resins, turpentine, acids,

alkalies, cosmetics and cleaning agents.

1 Komich, R. J. (3741 High Point Road, Greensboro,

North Carolina 27407).

1971.Anophthalmos:

An inherited trait in a new stock of guinea pigs.

Am. J.Vet. Res. 32:2099-2105.

A Delayed Hypersensitivity Reaction -

characterized by

erythema edema and induration.

Histo - infiltration of mononuclear cells in the

dermis.

2.

Animal Disease:

Models - include dogs, guinea pigs and pigs.

Guinea Pigs Are Used Extensively - because they

are easily sensitized, and the lesions are

readilyobserved.

0.05 0.1% conc. of the

allergen in a topical closedpatch technique

and then challenge with .05 - 5% conc. with

patch on for 24 hours.

Read at 24, 48 and 72

hours after applications.XII.

Metabolic

A.

Vitamin C Deficiency

1.

Human Disease:

Scurvy - anorexia, depressed growth, anemia,

lassitude,

swollen and inflamed gums and joints,

loose teeth, petechial

hemorrhages, depressed

wound healing, increased susceptibility-

to

infections, and long bone abnormalities.

2.

Animal Disease:

Non-Human Primates - guinea pigs, the red vented

bulbul bird,

and some species of fruit-eating

bats of India depend on food

sources for ascorbic

acid requirement; lack L-gulonolactone

oxidase

and can't synthesize Vitamin C.

Deficiency Signs in the Guinea Pig - include

weakness,

lassitude, anorexia, anemia.and

widespread hemorrhages.

Growth

and maintenance of

connective tissue in the skin depends on

ascorbic

acid in the guinea pig.

Hemorrhages in the

subcutaneous tissues, joints, muscle and intestine

in scorbutic

guinea pigs, are partly the result of

defective connective tissue

maintenance, and are

also due to impaired clotting mechanism.

Also Rainbow Trout and Flying Fox

Addendum

I.

Respiratory

A.

Legionnaire's Disease (Baskerville, et al; 1981)

1.

Human Disease is an acute fibrinopurulent

pneumonia caused by aerosol infection of the

lungs withLegionella pneumophila.

2.

Animal Disease - pyrexia and pneumonia develop

in guinea pigs and rhesus monkeys after aerosol

exposure.

B.

Fatal Arenavirus Infection (Model #301 in

Fascicles)

1.

Human Disease:

Lassa Fever

2.

Animal Model:

Adapted Pichinde Virus Infection

in Strain 13 guinea pigs.

Disease is remarkably

similar toLassa fever in humans in histologic

appearance and distributionof viral antigens.

Outbred Hartley Strain guinea pigs are more

resistant than Strain 13 guinea pigs.II.

Urogenital

A.

Genital Herpes Simplex Infection (Hsiung, et al, 1984)

1.

Human Disease:

Infection may take several forms and can be

inapparent.

After primary infection, which can be clinical or

subclinical, an individual can become latently infected.

Cannot

be prevented or cured.

2.

Animal Disease:

Guinea pigs, mice, and cebus monkeys have been

used for experimental infections.

Clinical and pathological

features of acute and recurrent genital disease of guinea pigs

innoculated with low does of Herpes Simplex Virus are similar to

those seen in human infections.

The appearance and evolution of

the genital lesions, the characteristic histologic changes in

the genital epithelium and nerve tissues, the establishment of

latent virus infection in the dorsal root ganglion with the

potential for reactivation, and the transmission of virus from

mother to newborn through an infected birth canal, all mimic the

human disease.III.

Nervous

A.

Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (Kim, et. al, 1983)

1.

Human Disease:

A subacute spongiform encephalopathy occurring in

man charaterized by clear, swollen and/or vacuolar changes in the neurons

and astrocytes in the brain.

Cause is thought to be a slow virus.

2.

Animal Models:

Chimpanzees, other primates, guinea pigs. cats,

hamsters, mice, and rats have been successfully infected with human biopsy

material.

Changes in the central nervous system are similar in guinea

pigs to those seen in man and involve vacuolization in the neurons and

astrocytes.

B.

Mannosidosis (Model #253 in Fascicles)

1.

Human Disease:

A genetic enzymopathy present from

conception in which lysosomal-D-mannosidase

activity is deficientin all tissues.Mannose-rich

oligosaccharides accumulate inlysosomes in many

tissues.

Affected children suffer from mental

retardation, psychomotor deterioration along with

immunologic and connective tissue abnormalities.

2.

Animal Models:

Disease can be induced by feeding

swainsonine, a potent inhibitor of lysosomal#-D-

mannosidase insheep, cattle, horses, and guinea

pigs.

Guinea pigs givendrinking water containing

lOmg/dl swainsonine develop markedneurovisceral

mannoside storage within 4 weeks with extensive

involvement of neurons on the central nervous

systemand peripheral ganglia.ALLERGYTitle:

An animal model for nonimmunologic contact urticaria.

The suitability o: the guinea pig for studies on nonimmunologic contacturticaria (

NlCU)

was investigated. Hartley

guinea

pigs

were

challenged withvarious concentrations of human NICU agents.

The thickness of the ear wasmeasured with a string micrometer before application and at 5 to 30 minintervals.

Maximal increase in ear thickness was produced within 30 to 40 min. All responses were dose dependent.

The histology of the maximal reaction showeddermal edema. and intra and perivascular infiltrate of heterophils (neutrophilsin man). eosinophils. and some lymphocytes.

The guinea pig ear-swelling testprovides a quantitative animal model to screen human NlCU agents.Source:

Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 1984 Nov:76 (2):219-24Title:

Experimental asthma in guinea pigs revisited.

The relation between guinea pig asthma and human bronchial asthma isestablished.

The underlying mechanism in both processes is the misdirected(aberrant) formation of anaphylactic or reaginic (IgE) antibody againstinnocuous antigens, leading at renewed exposure to the antigen to release ofmast cell mediators (such as histamine. SRS-A. eosinotactic peptides. PAF.bronchoconstriction. vasodilation and eosinophilic inflammation at the sites ofantigen-antibody reactions in the tissues of the respiratory organs.Source:

Int Arch Allergy Appl lmmunol 1984; 73 (1):77-85NEUROIMMUNOLOGYTitle:

An immune-mediated guinea pig model for lower motor neuron disease.

Guinea pigs were immunized with motor neurons from swine spinal.

onemonth after the last of five serial immunizations.

the recipients showedprogressive weight loss.

By seven months of age, five of the six immunizedanimals had died.

Pathological examination showed destruction of motor neuronsin the spinal cords without demyelination. but with atrophy of the relatedskeletal muscle groups.

This may serve as a model for the human motor neurondiseases.Source:

J Neuroimmunol l986 Oct:12(4):27#-90RESPIRATORYTitle:

A technique for monitoring respiratory responses in guinea pigs.

A piezoelectric crystal was used to detect respiration rates andpulmonary retractions of guinea pigs in response to intratracheal!administration of histamine.

Voltage output from the crystal was displayed ona recorder for visual processing and interfaced to a microcomputer for automaticdata processing. Using intratracheal instillation of histamine. this systemaccurately reproduces the visual observation of respiratory responses in guineapigs.Source:

Lab anim Sci 1984 Oct;34 (5): 475-9CardiologyTitle:

Experimental autoimmune myocarditis in the guinea pig.

Guinea pigs underwent immunization with heterologous heart protein (ratheart). complete Freund's adjuvant and pertussis vaccine (immunized) or normalsaline (control) atweekly

intervals for 6 weeks, and were subsequently

studied.

Itwas concluded that inflammatory.probably immune-mediated. chronic myocarditiscan be produced in the guinea pig.Source:

Cariovasc Res 1085 Oct; 19 (10) :613-22Title:

A simple method for the production of ventricular tachycardia in the ratand guinea pig.

A simple method for the production of ventricular tachycardia in the ratand guinea pig was developed.

The animals were made to inhale benzene vaporsfor 2 min.

An intravenous injection of adrenaline was given during the last 30sec of

benzene administration.

Ventricular tachycardia developed in 95% of theanimals used.

Development of ventricular tachycardia in guinea pigs was earlierthan in rats. but the duration of the tachycardia was almost equal in bothspecies of animals.

The arrhythmia by this method is of short duration.reliable. and reproducible.

This method can be utilized for the rapid screeningof antiarrhythmic agents.Source:

J Pharmacol Methods l986 Jun;15 (3) :279-82MUSCULOSKELETALTitle:

lntroduction of osteoarthrosis in the guinea pig knee by papain.

Guinea pigs were given papain intra-articularly.

Microscopic surfaceirregularities could be observed in the animals after 6 hours.

The firstosteoarthritic changes were observed macroscopically after B months. Radiographic changes in the experimental joint could be observed in all animalskilled after 10 months.

lt was concluded that osteoarthrosis similar to thatoccurring in humans can be induced by this method.Source:

Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Path 1983 Mar: 55 (3) :259-66 IMMUNOLOGYTitle:

Reappraisal of the guinea pig as an experimental host for studies ofschistosomiasis mansoni.

The guinea pig is a potential laboratory host for Schistosoma mansoni. Twenty-six percent of an infective cercarial population survive to maturity inthis rodent.

Schistosome eggs are never detected in the feces of infectedguinea pig, but they can be observed in the pulmonary. hepatic and intestinaltissues.

only 55% of the eggs that can be recovered from the intestinal tractare viable. and some of these can be hatched to release miracidia that penetratethe snail host.Source:

ParasitologyAuthors:

Pearce EJ; McLaren DJINFECTIOUS DISEASESTitle:

Experimental syphilis:

guinea pig model

Outbred Hartley male guinea pigs were infected intradermally withvarious concentrations of Treponema pallidum Nichols strain in the pubic region. Though less susceptible to T pallidum infection than the rabbit when infectedwith a sufficient number of organisms. the guinea pig may be a useful model inexperimental syphilis.Source:

Br J Vener Dis 1983 Jun:59(3):157-68Title:

Pathogenicity of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli strains inthe pregnant guinea pig model.

Pathogenicity of 17 Campylobacter isolates for pregnant guinea pigswas investigated.

Of 14 isolates. 12 produced rates of abortion ranging from13%-87%. Two isolates did not produce abortion.

Inoculated organisms wererecovered from uterus.

blood. liver, kidney. spleen.and gallbladder of theguinea pigs at a rate as high as 83% for 2 ovine strains and as low as 13%for

bovine

isolates.

Most

isolations

were

from

the

uterus.

Theguinea pig was a suitable and practical model for evaluating the pathogenicityof Campylobacter organism. regardless of their host of origin.Source:

Am J Vet Res l983 Nov;44(11):2175-8Title:

Plasmid content and pathogenicity of Campylobacter jejuni andCampylobacter

coli strains in the pregnant guinea pig model.

Plasmid carriage

was

not.

found

to

correlate

withpathogenicity as determined by ability of the strains to produce abortions inthe pregnant guinea pig model.Source:

Am J Vet Res 1984 Oct;45(10):2201-2Title:

The guinea pig model for Argentine hemorrhagic fever.

Guinea pigs infected by the peripheral rout with the XJ pathogenicstrain of Junin virus showed viscerotropism mainly in reticulo-phagocytic richorgans.

There was an absence of

neurotropism.

The results show that infectionof guinea pigs by the peripheral route is an adequate model for human Argentinehemorrhagic fever with the exception of central nervous system involvement. Comparisons are made with infections produced in guinea pigs by attenuatedstrains. as well as with the disease in primates and humans.Source:

Am J Trop Med Hyg 1984 Nov:33 (6) :1251-7

REFERENCESA Handbook:

Animal Models of Human Disease, The Registry of ComparativePathology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, D.C., 1979.Andrews, E.J., Ward, B.C., Altman, N.H., Spontaneous Animal Models ofModels ofHuman Disease, Vol. I and II, Academic Press New York, NY, 1979.Alspaugh, M.A., Van Hoosier, G.L., Jr., "Naturally-Occurring andExperimentally-Induced Arthritides in Rodents:

A Review of the Literature.",Laboratory Animal Science, 23:724-736. 1973.Baskerville, A.,

Fitzgeorge, R.B., Broster, M., Hambleton. P., and Dennis,P.J., "Experimental Transmission of Legionnaires' Disease by Exposure toaerosols of Legionella pneumophila". Lancet,2(8260-61):1389-90, 1981 Dec 19-26.Dodds, W.J., "Second International Registry of Animal Models of Thromboses andHemorrhagic Diseases", ILAR News, 24:11-50, 1981.Hsiung, G.D., Mayo, D.R., Lucia, H.L., and Landry, M.L., "Genital Herpes: Pathogenesis and Chemotherapy in the Guinea Pig Model.", Rev. Inf. Dis., 6:33-50, 1984.Melby, E.C., Jr., Altman, N.H., Handbook of Laboratory Animal Science,

Vol.I, II and III, CRC Press, Cleveland, Ohio, 1974.Mitruka, B.M., Rawnsley, H.M., and Vadehra, D.V., Animals for Medical Research:Models for the Study of Human Disease, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1976Wagner, J.E., Manning, P.J., The Biology of the Guinea Pig, Academic Press, NewYork. NY, 1976.

THE GUINEA PIG OR CAVY

Taxonomic Relations

The most recent revision of the family Caviidae

concludesthat the domestic guinea pig is a derivative of

Cavia aperea and designatesall other forms.

including C.

porcellus. C. rufescens. C. cobaya, and C.cutleri, as

invalid synonyms or subspecies of C. aperea.

The Latin name

most frequently used today for the domestic guinea pig is C.

porcellus,but papers prior to 1940 frequently used C.

cobaya.

The confusion is dueto several factors including

the total lack of records from the firstdomestication and

conflicting reports of genetic and zoological studies of

the large and widely distributed genus.

It can be said with

reasonablecertainty, thought, that a wild progenitor of the

domestic cavy is stillavailable.

The four genera making up the family Caviidae are all found in South

America.

The genus Cavia is widely distributed in almost all areas except

the Amazon rain forest.

Southern Argentina is the home of the Patagonian

cavy, a hare=like animal frequently seen in zoos in this country.

closely related family, Hydrochoeridae, contains the largest living rodent

the capybara. which may weigh up to 50 kg. This animal is also frequently

seen in zoos.

History

The Spanish conquistadors brought guinea pigs back to Europe with.them 400 years ago.

The Incas of Peru had been breeding them in completedomesticity for an unrecorded length of time.

There has never yet been anyconclusive evidence of the exact geographic origin of their stocks.

The animalwas kept as a table delicacy and both the wild and domestic forms are eatentoday in South America.

The name "guinea pig'' is of unknown origin: the only excuse for itis the squeal that the animal emits when excited.

Fanciers and the pet tradeprefer the name "cavy" and their disdain for "guinea pig" is absolute.

Aveterinarian uses the two names for the -ame animal according to the owner'ssensitivity.

The German name is meerschwein, which translates "sea pig).

Utilization

Guinea pigs, along with rats, mice, and rabbits, have been used asexperimental animals from the earliest time.

Lavoisier used guinea pigs in hisearly experiments in heat production in 1780.

Because of its very highrequirement for exogenous ascorbic acid it has been used since 1907 in the studyof this vitamin.

Many other lines of nurrirional work have been developed inthe guinea pig following its early introduction in this field.

The sensivitivy of the guinea pig to tuberculosis has made it a veryimportant animal in the study of the disease. Other diseases studied in theguinea pig include brucellosis,

diphtheria, and anthrax.

The dramatic immunological phenomenon called anaphylaxis was studiedextensively in guinea pigs who display this type of reaction more strongly thanmost other species.

Guinea pig serum complement is widely used as the standard .

.Hucklinghaus.

F., 1962.

Untersuchungen uber die Formenmannig-feltigkeit der

Unterfamilie Caviinae.Z. Wiss. Zool.. 166:1-98.Reference:

Anatomy of the Guinea Pig. Cooper. G. and Alan L.

Schiller,

1975.

Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA.reagent in serology, although in recent# times o#her species have foundincreasing importance.

In 1969 there were 869,000 guinea pigs used in research and thousands moresold as pet.Strains.

Guinea pigs are grouped into three 'breeds" by fanciers on the basis ofpelage.

The English type has short, straight, coarse hair that follows the bodycontours.

The Abyssinian type has similar hair, but the coat is arranged inrosettes or swirls over the body, giving the animal a somewhat appearance. Crosses are as common as the pure types, so total confusion reigns.

A thirdtype is called Peruvian; this type has hair (very much like the angora type inrabbits) that is long and silky and totally unsuited to a laboratory animal. The range of colors available is the same as for mice and rabbit. Albino,English-type animals are often referred to as Dunkin-Hartley guinea pigs. Dunkin and-Hartley were geneticists who developed a strain for their own workthat proved to be very productive, relatively docile, and bred true to color.

Genetics in guinea pigs has been very thoroughly and systematically in-vestigated by the famous geneticist Sewall Wright.

His inbred lines, some ofwhich were begun in 1906, are the most completely inbred strains. In 1958 twoof Wright's original 23 lines were still being maintained and were then testedby skin grafting for homozygosity.

At that time both strains (numbers 2 and 13of the original series) were found to be isologous.

They had been continuously bred B x S for over fifty generations.

Coat color Zenes have not been selectedfor, so that these strains remain heterozygous for several color types, yet areapparently homozygous for the histocompatability genes. 1, 2 These two strains,therefore, provide the largest mammals available for tissue transplant work thatdisplay complete histocompatability.

The domestic cavy will hybridize easily with C. aperea andseveral of its subspecies, although in some crosses there is F1 male sterility. See J. P. Rood and B. J. Weir, 1970, "Reproduction in female wild guinea pigs",J. Reprod.

Fertility, 23:393-409, for a full discussion.

The Special Anatomy of the Guinea PigGeneral Description

A medium sized rodent of stocky, square profile with the appearance ofbeing laterally compressed.

The face is blunt and the head about the same widthas the shoulders.

The tail is externally absent; only a coccyx remains.

Thefeet show a reduction of toes with four in front and three on the hind feet. All-toes have strong, straight claws.

The soles of the feet are naked. Although the wild coat color is agouti, most domestic cavies are white or white-spotted.

The body weights of adult animals average 850 gms and 1000: gms forfemales and males, respectively.

Bauer, J.A., Jr., 1958.

Histocompatability in inbred strains of guinea pigs.

Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 73:663-672.

8Bauer, J.A.,Jr., 1960.

Genetics of skin transplantation and an estimate of thenumber of histocompatable genes in inbred guinea pigs.

Ann. X.Y.

Acad.

Sci.,87:78=92.

The sexes are commonly referred to as sows and board and several otherterms from swine husbandry are transferred to guinea pigs.

The animals aredocile, they very seldom bite but are always excitable, nervous, and constantlychuckle, squeal, and chatter amongst themselves in colonies.

They are commonlymaintained in harems for breeding purposes with one male for as many as 12females.

The young are born fully furred, their eyes open, and dentition readyfor solid food.

Their need for exogenous vitamin C is unique among rodents and must beprovided for in their husbandry.External Features

The pelage is coarse and somewhat rough.

Depending upon breed, theirgrowth patterns will vary from the normal smooth contours to a series of largerosettes or whorls over the body.

Color is variable in most strains althoughthe dark-pointed strains with white skin and fur generally breed true.

The short, fleshy ear is naked.

Its veins are nor large enough for routineinjections although blood may conveniently be obtained from a nick in the ear.

The blunt nose is different enough from the more pointed nose of rats thatslotted feeder designed for rat should not be used in guinea pig cages.

Thelips close behind the incisors as in other rodents.

There are no cheek pouches.

Posture is like that in many other rodents; the anus is pressed to theground in the normal standing position.

A large scent gland field in theperineum is thus brought into contact and marks the surface where the animalrests.

These perineal glands open into deep clefts between the anus and genitalpapilla of both sexes.

A single pair of inguinal nipples is seen in BOTH SEXES although mammarygland development normally occurs only in females.SkeletonThe vertebral formula ia 7 cervical, 13 thoracic. 6 lumbar. 2 sacral, and 6coccygeal.

The clavicle is vestigial.

The symphysis of the mandibular rami isossified.

The pelvic symphysis of females is destroyed at time of parturition. This process begins more than two weeks prior to parturition and results in agap of 22 mm at the time of birth.

A practiced technician can estimate thestage of pregnancy by palpating this developing gap.There are no differences in the times of closure of epiphyses in the sexes. Guinea pigs have a similar growth pattern to rats and other rodents in thatsexual maturity fails to appreciably slow the rate of skeletal growth.Dentition

Dental formula:

I 1/1, C 0/0, P 1/1, M 3/3 = 20.

The incisors are openrooted chisel-shaped teeth.

The molars are also

rootless. in contrast to the

case in myomorphs.

The molariform teeth are arranged in convergent rows so that the premolars arecloser to each other than the last molars.

There is also a tendency for theteeth to wear at an acute angle rather than squarely.

The lateral movements arerestricted;

grinding is accomplished by fore and aft movement.

The angular process of thedentary is very long to provide insertion for the horizontal component of themasseter which drives the forward thrust of the lower jaw in both gnawing andfood grinding movements.

The pterygoid fossa of the guinea pig skull is open to the orbit allowingthe internal pterygoid muscle to spread its origin over the orbital wall.

Theinfraorbital canal is much enlarged for the pulley-like passage of a long headto the masseter that has its origin on the maxilla.Digestive System

The stomach is not divided into glandular and non-glandular regions asdescribed for all the other rodents studied in this sequence. The small intes-tine of a guinea pig of 22 cm body length measures 120 cm (vs 100 cm for a ratof the same body length.

The cecum is relatively larger in the guinea pig. measuring 14 cm (vs 5 cm in the rat).

The colon of the guinea pig is roughly60 percent the length of the small intestine: whereas that of the rat is onlyabout 16 percent.

The guinea pig would appear to be more highly specialized asa strict herbivore.

The guinea pig cecum is a source of volatile fatty acids derived frombacterial degradation of cellulose and presumably also of several vitamins.

Thececum enlarges enormously in so=called germ-free animals, shortening their lifein many cases.

The enlargement is not understood.

The organ returns to normalsize if the animal is carefully infected with a normal flora of entericmicroorganisms.

The "normal" anatomy would seem to be in reality as much afunction of the animals' internal ecology as of its genes.

The long colon is doubled and coiled on itself before reaching the directtransverse and descending branches.

The liver is about 3:7 percent of the body weight in a 1 kg animal.

It haseight lobes.

The bile duct and gallbladder are rather loosely attached to theliver and therefore easily observed, cannulated, or tied.

The formation of anampullary swelling in the common bile duct just at its entry to the duodenum ispresumably unique.

This chamber fills, is cut off by sphincter action, thenempties itself into the gut.

The pancreas is not so diffuse as that of murid rodents, although welldefined head and tail regions can be identified.

Spleen and Thymus

The spleen of the guinea pig is somewhat broader in its proportions thanseen in rabbits and murid rodents.

Its vascular pattern shows some variationfrom other species also.

There are no sheaths (of Schweigger-Seidel) and thearterioles ramify in the red pulp as a well=defined system of capillaries beforeentering the venous sinuses.

The red pulp does not store large quantities ofred blood cells in its RE cells, the storage capacity of this spleen is largelya function of the venous sinuses.

According to T.

Snook (Anat. Rec.

89:413-428, 1944) the guinea pig spleen is thus more like the human than either the cator mouse.

Myeloid elements are absent from the normal guinea pig spleen.

The redpulp harbors large numbers of plasma cells amongst its

RE cells.

The thymus differs in two important aspects from that of all other mammalscommonly used in the laboratory:

(1)

It is located entirely in the neck where it occurs as a pair of distinctly

separate, ovoid masses.Spleen and Thymus (cont.)

(2)

It has a well developed system of efferent lymphatic that serve to

distribute the small lymphocytes (thymocytes) to other lymphoid organs.

Diapedesis is not observed in its blood vessels.

See Harris and Templeton, Acta Anat., 69:366-377, 1968, for details of thislymphatic drainage and further discussions of comparative functional morphology.

Although: most species of mammals may be thymectomized experimentally, nospecies offers the ready access to this organ that you will see in the guineapig where the organ can be exposed with relatively little trauma and observedduring experimental procedures.Endocrine Organs

Pituitary:

This gland is not encased by the sella turcica in this species. Average weight for adult animals is 50 mg Per kg body weight.

Adrenals:

Relatively very large with most of the unusual size due tohypertrophy of the zona reticularis of the cortex.

The functional significanceof this excessive development remains obscure (as is true for this region of thecortex in all mammals).

Thyroid:

Size and location conforms to-that of mammals generally.

Parathyroids:

Found four sites embedded in the thyroid lobes.Reproductive Systems

Male.

The testis of the guinea pig matures rapidly.

There are spermatozoain the ejaculate at about 50 days of age (average body weight of 611 gms).

Thetestes weigh between five and six gms. There is no seasonal variation in testisweight or fertility.

Males are retained in breeding colonies as long as threeyears.

The testes are found in shallow scrotal sacs on either side of the penis. The typical rodent pattern with broadly open inguinal canal and large epididymalfat pad is present.

The deferent duct unites with the vesicular gland ductbefore entering the prostatic urethra.

These is no separate ampullary gland.

The vesicular glands are very long (up to 10 cm), slender, tubularstructures; the coagulating glands are short and not so clearly differentiatedfrom the prostatic tissue as in myomorphs.

There are separate dorsal andlateral lobes to the prostate.

Bulbourethral glands are present.

There are small preputial glands.

Theprepuce and glans penis are adorned with rows of cornified papillae forming acorona-like structure.

An os penis is present.

Female.

The ovary is not so completely encased by its bursa as was thecase for the myomorph rodents.

The uterine tube is also less coiled, thoughtortuous in its path.

These structures are nearly always embedded in fat whichdevelops in the mesotubarium and mesovarium.

The guinea pig ovary products functional corpora lutea at each 16- to 17-daycycle; they are grossly visible as pink structures in the cut ovary, the colorfading as the cycle passes the 13th day.

Graafian follicles are also visibleto the naked eye.

The uterine horns are joined at the cervices and a single os cervicis opensto the vagina.

The vagina is a long structure passing the entire length of thelong pelvis. The mammalian cycle of vaginal cornification, sloughing, and repairwhich follows the development of follicles; their rupture and leuteinizationwere first studied in this animal (Papanicolaou, 1917).

The urethral meatus is sub-terminal to the clitoris.

Perineal glands areconspicuously present in both sexes on the walls of the cleft-like vestibulewhich encloses anus, vaginal opening, and urethral meatus.

The vagina is closed by a membrane which ruptures just before estrus, staysopen for about four days, then reseals.

If the animal is bred and conceives,there will be a period of opening around the end of the fourth week of pregnancythat coincides with the transition from ovarian (luteal) control of pregnancyto placental control. After this time a pregnant female may be ovariectomizedwithout aborting.

The membrane opens again at term and a postpartum estrus is the normal timefor rebreeding.

Lactation does not interfere with the subsequent implantation. The young are weaned at about three weeks and the gestation period is about 68days.Growth

Guinea Pigs are born fully furred, with their eyes and ears open and areable to begin taking solid food within two days.

Birth weight is a function oflitter size and may range from 45 to 100 gms.

The young are usually weaned at160 gms rather than according to an age criterion; the age for this weight mayrange from 14 to 28 days.

Sexual maturity, as judged by rupture of

the vaginalmembrane and willingness to copulate, may occur as early as 33 days of age,which will mean that some females may be bred by their sires before weaning. Such breedings are always unsuccessful, however, and the normal practice is tokeep the sexes separated until the females reach three and a half to four anda half months of age or about 500 gms.

There is a danger in not breeding themat this age in that the pubic symphysis may ossify so completely as to preventits proper dissolution at parturition.

Earlier breedings result in a highpercentage of abortions.

The males are normally not used as breeders until six months of age orabout 700 gms although spermatozoa are present after ten weeks and fertility ishigh.

The reason for the practice of using older males is that the usualratio of females per male in breeding harems is 12 to 1.

The adage is "don'tsend a boy out to do a man's job."1 Ford, et al., Anat. Rec., 109:707-714, 1951.

Growth of Guinea Pigs.

Weights in grams.Age in Weeks

Males

Females

Birth

45 - 104

45 - 98

134

131

189

186

258

259

296

314

10

386

380

12

411

400

14

507

483

18

596

564

22

676

609

26

722

655

30

723

687

36

750

825

42

765

873

52

780

825

100

1100

900Reference: H.H. Kibler, S. Brody, and D. Worstell,

1947. J.

Nutrition 33:33.

GUINEA PIG (CAVIA PORCELLUS)Age of puberty

45 to70 daysMinimum breeding age

12 weeks (female averages

450 grants and male 500

grams)Breeding season

Any time of yearEstrus cycle

Polyestrous; all yearDuration of estrus cycle

16 to 19 daysDeration of period of heat (cstrus)

6 to 15 hours (for

acceptance of the male)

Gestation period

58 to 75 days (average is

68)Litter size

1 to 8 (average is 3)Ovulation time

10 hours from onset of

estrus; type spontaneousNumber of ova

2 to 4, both avaries

involvedCopulation time

At estrusSperm transit, vagina to tube

15 minutesOvum transit, tube to uterus

3-1/2 daysFertilization time

A few hours after ovulation

Cleavage of ovum to formation

5 to 6 days of blastocoeleImplantation or attachment of ova

6 daysReturn to estrus, postpartum

6 to 8 hoursSperm deposition site

UterusFertilization site

Fallopian tubeChromosome number, diploid

64 in somatic cellsBirth weight

75 to 100 grams

Weaned

14 to 21 daysEats solid food

5 daysBreeding life of female

3 yearsBreeding life of male

4 yearsBreeding habits

1 male to 10 or 12 femalesConception interval

Variable (6 to 8 hours is

usually satisfactory)Sex ratio at birth

50 to 54% males average is

52Lactation period

21 daysFertilizable longevity of

22 hours sperm in female tractFertilizable longevity

20 hours after ovulationof egg in oviduct

LABORATORY GUIDE

The dissection

of the guinea pig and the hamster are scheduled

together so that certain

comparisons may be facilitated.

Both species are

to some degree burrowing rodent, but, as we have discussed already, there

are numerous differences

in the adaptations.

Wild cavies tend to live in

rocky areas where their 'bburrows" take advantage of the natural crevices

and broken structure of the substrate.

Their feet,are not digging feet,

but their body form is typical of burrowing animals.

Guinea pigs are quite safe to handle even though they are not

previously gentled.

The animals may squeal and attempt in every way to

avoid capture, but they will not bite unless injured or severely

mistreated.

Examine the live animal on a surface where its movements can be

observed.

When capturing the animals, place the hand over the shoulders

and grasp.it around the body:

Do not try to pick up the animal by the

skin alone.

The hide is not as loose as you might expect from experience

with the other species studied.

Heavy-bodied animals should be supported

with a second hand scooped under the hindquarters. Both sexes are quite

accurate at urine spraying, so keep them aimed away from yourself until

they have voided completely.

( A good habit with all small mammals.)

Determine the sex of several animals.

Palpate the females

gently to see if you can detect pregnancy.

This is possible as early as

the tenth day with experience.

It is unlikely that any of the animals

provided in this lab will be pregnant, but the exercise is worth doing

anyway.

Attempt also to determine where the heart is most strongly felt

and verify your observations during dissection.

Guinea pigs are used so widely in immunological work that you

are very likely to be required to assist or instruct in their bleeding and

injection.

The following comments are taken from "Methods in Immunology",

by D. H. Campbell, J.

S.

Garvey, N.

E.

Cremer, and D. H.

Sussdorf; W.

A.

Benjamin.

Inc., N.Y., 1963.

263 pp.

"Injections of antigens are

done either in the foot pads or in the skin of the shoulder region, both

intradermally and subcutaneously.

Intravenous injections are done in the

very small ear veins, the dorsal vein of the penis, or in the saphenous

vein above the tarsus.

The latter vein is entered after clipping a small

fold of skin away to expose the vein on the lateral aspect of the leg

about 1 cm above the ankle.

This procedure must be done under light

anesthesia."

Euthanize the animal under chloroform.

Examine by palpation again, noting any differences due to loss of

muscle tone.

Find the saphenous vein as noted above.

Evert the phallus

and compare the two sexes.

Examine the mouth and eyes.

Compare jaw

movements and articulations in hamster and guinea pigs.

Skin the specimen using a different method than used for the rat,

i.e., by dorsal incision if you used a ventral approach for the rat, etc.

Identify the salivary glands, exorbital lacrimal gland, and

(after removing the eye) the Harderian gland.

Compare the jaw muscles of

hamster and guinea pig.

Refer to the prepared skeletal material during

examination.

Find the thymus and thyroid glands and then open

the rib cageto examine the position of the heart.

Determine the proper externallandmarks for ventricular

heart puncture.

Open the abdominal cavity and sketch the position

of themajor viscera.

Consider the problem of minimizing

the risk-of puncturingthe cecum or stomach or urinary

bladder intraperitoneal injections.

Spread the viscera and identify all structures discussed under

Special Anatomy.

Familiarize yourself with the characteristic forms and

relationships so that you could identify these organs as to species.

After removing the gastrointestinal tract wash and examine its mucosal

surfaces.

Compare the partitioning of the cecae of the two species.

Look

for the aggregated lymphoid patches along the tract.

Examine the reproductive systems of both sexes as outlined for

previously dissected species.

In the male be sure to open the urethra and

see the elaborate structure of the prepuce, glans, and fossa.

By

collecting the secretions of the coagulating glands and the vesicular

glands, you should be able to obtain a gel similar to the copulation plug.

If any of the specimens show a patent vaginal introitus, evaluate

the status by checking the cut surface of the ovary.

Correlate your

findings with the information provided in the Special Anatomy section.

Anatomical and Biological Date for the Mouse, Mus musculus, andRat, Rattus norvegicus

Mouse

RatWeight

20-40 grams

300-4-- gramsAdult male

25-90 grams

250-300 gramsfemaleBirth

1.5 grams

5-6 gramsLife span

2 years - max.

2-3 years - Max 4 yearsBreeding age

3 yr. 2 mo.

and weightmale

60 days - 20-35

100 days - 300 grams

grams

female

50-60 days -

100 days - 200 grams

Avg. 19

Estrus cycle

4-5 days

5 daysGestation

17-21 days -

20-23 days - Avg. 21

Avy. 19with lactation

Add 3-5 days

Add 5-7 daysLitter size

1-23 - Avg. 10-12

8-17 - Avg. 10Number of

6-10

8-12littersWeaning age andweight

16-20 days -

21 days - 40-50 grams

10-12 grams Postpartum

yes

yes heartBreeding lifemale

18 months

12-14 monthsfemale

10-12 months, 6-10

1 year - 4-5 litters

littersMatingpair

yes

yescolony

1 male to 3 females

1 male to 3-4 femalesWater

1.5 cc/10 G. body wt. 1 cc/10 G.body wt.

Ad libitum

Ad libitumFeed usage

4-5 grams/day

12-15 grams/dayDry food consumption byyoung begins

10 days

Approx. 12 daysHair growth

2-3 days

3-5 daysapparent

Recommended

72 F

70-80 F temperatureHumidity

45-55

45-55Light

Minimal

14 2 hoursNoise

Minimal

MinimalHeart beatadult

600 (328-780)min

328(261-600)minnewborn

-----

161(81-241)minBreathing rate 163(84-230)min

94(75-115)minBody

97.5 F.(36.5C.)

99.1F.(37.3C) temperature HematologyRBC/mm

9 x 10 6

7-10x106 Avg.9.35x106WBC/mm

8 - 16 x 103

6 - 18x103 Avg.9x103DifferentialLymphocytes

70#

78#Neutrophils

20#

20#Monocytes

10#

<1%Ecsinophils

<1%

2#pressure