Immunocontraception of male and female giraffes using the GnRH vaccine Improvac®.

Autor: Schwarzenberger F; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Physiology-Endocrinology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria., Krawinkel P; ZOOM Erlebniswelt, Gelsenkirchen, Germany., Jeserschek SM; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Physiology-Endocrinology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria., Schauerte N; Zoo Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany., Geiger C; Zoo Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany., Balfanz F; Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Vienna, Austria., Knauf-Witzens T; Wilhelma - der zoologisch-botanische Garten, Stuttgart, Germany., Sicks F; Tierpark Berlin-Friedrichsfelde, Berlin, Germany., Martinez Nevado E; Zoo-Aquarium de Madrid, Madrid, Spain., Anfray G; Zoo de Lyon, Lyon, France., Hein A; Zoo Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany., Kaandorp-Huber C; GaiaZoo, Kerkrade, The Netherlands., Marcordes S; AG Zoologischer Garten Köln, Cologne, Germany., Venshøj B; Zoo Odense, Odense, Denmark.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Zoo biology [Zoo Biol] 2022 Jan; Vol. 41 (1), pp. 50-64. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Sep 03.
DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21651
Abstrakt: The aim of this study was to develop protocols for contraception in both sexes of giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) by using the GnRH vaccine Improvac®. We evaluated the success of immunization by analyzing fecal reproductive hormone metabolites in female (n = 20) and male (n = 9) giraffes. Endocrine analysis provided the basis for the successful immunization protocol, as well as for assessing long-term effects. Reliable reduction of fecal steroid metabolites to baseline levels in female giraffes was achieved with three, and in males with four or five injections at 4-week intervals. Effective booster injections were administered at 2-month intervals in the first year of treatment and at three to 4-month intervals in the following years. In addition to endocrine analysis, we determined vaccination efficacy in bulls by assessing testicular atrophy. Long-term (>2 years) use in females was often accompanied by prolonged periods of persistent corpus luteum activity, although normal cycles were not observed. Problems might occur with reversibility, because in a few males and females, even after more than 2 years since treatment had been stopped, fecal hormone metabolites have not returned to pretreatment levels. The results are somewhat ambiguous, as reproduction can be suppressed by use of Improvac®, but the question of reversibility remains unsolved.
(© 2021 The Authors. Zoo Biology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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