UNSW Embryology

Guinea Pig Development

© Dr Mark Hill (2011)

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Embryos from the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) have been used in various tetragenic studies, including the effects of elevated body temperature on embryonic development. Postnatally guinea pigs can become sexually mature as early as four weeks.

Adult Guinea Pig

Historically, it was the Spanish conquistadors who brought guinea pigs to Europe from South America, where they are native, approximately 400 years ago.

Nutritional research using guinea pigs showed that scurvy was due to a lack dietary vitamin C, and they have also been used for other dietary requirement studies (More? research characteristics)

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Page Links: Introduction | Taxon | Development Overview | Carnegie Stages Comparison | Guinea Pig Research Characteristics | Hyperthermia and Development | WWW Links | References | Glossary

Taxon

Cavia porcellus

Taxonomy Id: 10141 Preferred common name: domestic guinea pig Rank: species

Genetic code: Translation table 1 (Standard) Mitochondrial genetic code: Translation table 2
Other names: Cavia cobaya[synonym], Cavia aperea porcellus[synonym], guinea pig[common name]

Lineage( abbreviated ): Eukaryota; Metazoa; Chordata; Craniata; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Eutheria; Rodentia; Hystricognathi; Caviidae; Cavia

Development Overview

Lifespan: (maximum) 12 years, (average) 5 years.

Sexual maturity: 4-6 weeks

Estrous cycle: 15-17 days

Gestation period: 67-69 days

Average litter size: 3 pups (range 1 - 4)

Weaning age: 3 weeks

Carnegie Stages Comparison

Species	Stage	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23
Human	Days	20	22	24	28	30	33	36	40	42	44	48	52	54	55	58
Guinea Pig	Days	14.5	15	15.5	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	29

Human Data - O'Rahilly Early human development and the chief source of information on staged human embryos. Eur. J. Obstet. Gynec. Reprod. Biol. 9 p273 (1979)

Guinea Pig Data - Harman and Prickett The development of the external form of the guinea-pig between the ages of 11 and 20 days of gestation. Am. J. Anat. 49 p351 (1932)

Guinea Pig Research Characteristics

The following lists reasons why the guinea pig is an excellent model animal system for development studies.

1. Long Gestation Period With Mature Central Nervous System at Birth - toxicology and teratology studies.
2. Sensitivity of Respiratory System - asthma and environmental pollution studies.
3. Anatomy of the Guinea Pig Ear - inner ear studies because it is easily dissected and exposed.
4. Vitamin C Requirement - wound healing. bone, tooth and atherosclerosis studies.
5. Guinea Pig serum - Possesses hemolytic complement with higher activity levels than other lab animals. Widely used as a source of complement for complement fixation test.
6. Susceptibility to Infectious Diseases - sentinel animals because of their acute susceptibility to Coxiella burnetii., Mycobacterium sp. and Listeriosis.
7. Similar lmmune System to Man - immune system possesses a similar antigen-macrophage interaction to man and delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity reaction.
8. High Dietary Requirements - folic acid, thiamine, arginine and potassium make guinea pigs useful in nutrition studies.
9. Precocious Young - good for germ free raising.
10. Quiet Calm Disposition - entomology studies, used to test repellents and insecticides, and as feeding source for biting insects.

(Text modified from: Washington University - NetVet Guinea Pig Models and Uses in Research Notes)

Hyperthermia and Development

Guinea pigs have been successfully used as a sensitive model system for the effects of maternal hyperthermia (high body temperature/fever) upon development. This is an excellent example of a maternal environmental effect on embryonic development and neurological effects have also been demonstrated in other rodent model systems. (More? Abnormal Development- Maternal Effects | Hyperthermia and Development)

Cawdell-Smith J, Upfold J, Edwards M, Smith M. Neural tube and other developmental anomalies in the guinea pig following maternal hyperthermia during early neural tube development. Teratog Carcinog Mutagen. 1992;12(1):1-9. "Guinea pigs were exposed to hyperthermia for 1 hr once or twice on day 11, 12, 13, or 14 (E11-E14) of pregnancy. The mean rectal temperatures were elevated by 3.4 degrees C-4.0 degrees C. This treatment resulted in a marked elevation of rates of resorption and developmental defects in embryos examined at day E23. The defects observed were those affecting the neural tube (NTD) (exencephaly, encephaloceles, and microphthalmia), kyphosis/scoliosis, branchial arch defects, and pericardial edema. Embryos with NTD and kyphosis/scoliosis have not been found among newborn guinea pigs to date following maternal heat exposure on days E12-E14. It appears that embryos with these defects are filtered out by resorption or abortion by days E30-E35." (More? see Marsh Edwards | Upfold etal., 1989)

Marsh Edwards

"In a series of animal studies performed over a career spanning 40 years at the University of Sydney, Professor Marshall J. Edwards investigated the hypothesis that maternal hyperthermia during gestation can be teratogenic to the developing fetus. He is one of few investigators to have discovered a known human teratogen primarily through animal studies. His doctoral thesis was entitled "A Study of Some Factors Affecting Fertility of Animals with Particular Reference to the Effects of Hyperthermia on Gestation and Prenatal Development of the Guinea-Pig". He went on to prove that hyperthermia-induced malformations in animals involve many organs and structures, particularly the central nervous system. ... In a series of carefully planned and executed experiments, he demonstrated that the type of defect is related to the timing of the hyperthermic insult, and analyzed the underlying mechanisms.

(Text modified from review: Graham JM Jr. Marshall J. Edwards: discoverer of maternal hyperthermia as a human teratogen. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2005 Nov;73(11):857-64.)

WWW Links

• LABORATORY RODENT AND RABBIT EMBRYOS/OVA Conditions applicable to the maintenance of laboratory animal colonies
• Washington University - NetVet General Notes on Guinea Pigs | Guinea Pig Models and Uses in Research (Notes) | Biology and Care of Guinea Pigs (Notes) | Diseases of Guinea Pigs (Notes)
• Seagull's Guinea Pig Compendium
• Diseases of Guinea Pigs (AFIP-POLA)
• Dr. Barb Deeb's Guide to Guinea Pig Care
• Wikipedia - Guinea pig
• Elm Hill Breeding Labs
• M & B Breeding and Research Centre Ltd.
• Covance (HRP, Inc.)

References

Links: Reviews | Articles | Online Textbooks | Search Textbooks | Search PubMed | Glossary

PubMed

Reviews

• Demeestere I, Centner J, Gervy C, Englert Y, Delbaere A.    [See Related Articles] Impact of various endocrine and paracrine factors on in vitro culture of preantral follicles in rodents. Reproduction. 2005 Aug;130(2):147-56.
• Donnelly TM, Brown CJ.    [See Related Articles] Guinea pig and chinchilla care and husbandry. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract. 2004 May;7(2):351-73, vii.
• Bishop CR.    [See Related Articles] Reproductive medicine of rabbits and rodents. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract. 2002 Sep;5(3):507-35, vi.
• Quesenberry KE.    [See Related Articles] Guinea pigs. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 1994 Jan;24(1):67-87.

Articles

• Lilley KG, Epping RJ, Hafner LM.    [See Related Articles] The guinea pig estrous cycle: correlation of vaginal impedance measurements with vaginal cytologic findings. Lab Anim Sci. 1997 Dec;47(6):632-7.
• Cheeseman MT, Kelly DF, Birnie ED.    [See Related Articles] Heterotopic pancreas at a site of colon stricture and ulceration in a guineapig. Lab Anim. 1998 Apr;32(2):219-22.
• Cawdell-Smith J, Upfold J, Edwards M, Smith M.    [See Related Articles] Neural tube and other developmental anomalies in the guinea pig following maternal hyperthermia during early neural tube development. Teratog Carcinog Mutagen. 1992;12(1):1-9.
• Upfold JB, Smith MS, Edwards MJ.    [See Related Articles] Quantitative study of the effects of maternal hyperthermia on cell death and proliferation in the guinea pig brain on day 21 of pregnancy. Teratology. 1989 Feb;39(2):173-9.
• Boyages SC, Halpern JP, Maberly GF, Eastman CJ, Chen J, Wang ZH, van der Gaag RD, Drexhage HA.    [See Related Articles] Endemic cretinism: possible role for thyroid autoimmunity. Lancet. 1989 Sep 2;2(8662):529-32.
• Okewole PA, Uche EM, Oyetunde IL, Odeyemi PS, Dawul PB.    [See Related Articles] Uterine involvement in guineapig salmonellosis. Lab Anim. 1989 Jul;23(3):275-7.

Search PubMed

Search Feb 2006 "guineapig development" 10 reference articles, "guineapig" 169, no reference articles were reviews.

Search PubMed: term = guinea pig+development | term = guineapig | term = estrous cycle

Glossary of Terms

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Quick Links

Development Notes ----------------- Menstrual Cycle Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Placenta Serial Images Genes/DNA Molecular Dev Abnormal Dev Postnatal Dev Notes Index

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