Guinea Pig Development

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.

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.

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

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Cite this page: Hill, M.A. (2024, April 24) Embryology Guinea Pig Development. Retrieved from https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Guinea_Pig_Development

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© Dr Mark Hill 2024, UNSW Embryology ISBN: 978 0 7334 2609 4 - UNSW CRICOS Provider Code No. 00098G

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

Guinea Pig Research Characteristics

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

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

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