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The Effect of Incipient Vitamin A Deficiency on Reproduction in the Rabbit

II. Embryonic and Fetal Development¹

Seven Figures

Department of Dairy Science, University of Illinois, Urbana

Studies of various stages of gestation in mature female rabbits were made to determine the effect of low levels of vitamin A on the reproductive efficiency of rabbits even though they appear healthy.

1. Incipient vitamin A deficiency reduced by 14% the number of rabbits which mated normally. There was a decrease of 18% in the total number of deficient animals which conceived, compared to the conception rate in similar groups of rabbits receiving adequate vitamin A. However, incipient vitamin A deficiency did not reduce the average number of corpora lutea in pregnant animals at autopsy.

2. Ovum infertility and degeneration in rabbits with incipient vitamin A deficiency resulted in a loss of ova before implantation. Thus the litter size was significantly reduced, as was indicated when deficient animals were autopsied 16 days post coitum.

3. Incipient vitamin A deficiency resulted in a syndrome of resorption and abortion during late gestation. This reduced the number of normal fetuses present per rabbit at 28 days post coitum. It was estimated that only 26.4% of the original ovulations resulted in normal fetuses in deficient rabbits 28 days post coitum, compared to 74.6% in controls. Ocular abnormalities occurred in fetuses from deficient rabbits, as well as changes in the fetal placentae which involved a mottled appearance suggestive of a decreased vascularity.

4. Impaired embryonic and fetal nutrition in deficient rabbits significantly reduced fetus size at 16 and 28 days post coitum, even though the dams appeared in good health.

² Present address: University of Nottingham School of Agriculture, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough, England.

Manuscript received 18 September 1953.