Pregnancy toxaemia

Yarim GF, Karahan S, Nisbet C (2007) Elevated plasma levels of interleukin 1 beta, tumour necrosis factor alpha and monocyte chemotac-tic protein 1 are associated with pregnancy toxaemia in ewes. Vet Res Commun 31 565-573... 

Nutrient deficiencies in pregnancy may affect either or both the mother and the foetus. Many vitamin and mineral deficiencies (referred to in Chapters 5 and 6) are manifested in the foetus first. In the ewe, pregnancy toxaemia - which is basically a deficiency of glucose - is caused by the large demand for glucose by the foetus (often twin foetuses) and by a reduction in food intake in late gestation. 

Discuss the main factors contributing to pregnancy toxaemia (twin lamb disease) in sheep, and outline dietary strategies to prevent this. 

Theobald, G. W. 1955. The Pregnancy Toxaemias or the Encymonic Atelositeses. Kimpson, London. 

B26a. Brewer, T. H, Administration of human serum albumin in severe acute toxaemia of pregnancy. J. Obslet. Gynaecol. Brit. Commonwealth 70, 1001-1004 (1963). 

Sandler, M. and Goveney, J., Placental monoamine-oxidase activity in toxaemia of pregnancy. Lancet, 1962, p. 1096. 

Administration of chlorpromazine to a hypoglycaemic child successfully maintained on diazoxide and bedroflumethiazide was followed by marked hyperglycaemia (118 ). The combined use of diazoxide and chlor-methiazole in toxaemia of pregnancy shortly before delivery may have caused the severe depression, hypoventilation and hypotonia seen in 12 out of 13 infants in another similar case the mother had also received massive doses of anticonvulsants for grand mal 119C)... 

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