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Blood Cortisol in the Sheep: Normal Concentration and Changes in Ketosis of Pregnancy

Abstract

WHEN pregnant ewes experience a sudden reduction in food intake during the last stages of pregnancy, they are prone to a disease characterized clinically by disturbances of the nervous system and by a high mortality rate1,2; the condition has become known as ketosis of pregnancy, pregnancy toxæmia, or twin lamb disease. Since hypoglycæmia and ketonæmia were recognized as salient features of the disease, the metabolism of carbohydrates and fatty acids in affected animals has been the subject of a large number of studies; these are discussed in recent papers3–6. In the past, little attention has been paid in such investigations to the functional state of endocrine glands well known to be involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, such as the endocrine pancreas and the adrenal. The existing evidence concerning adrenal function in ketosis of pregnancy is indirect and conflicting. In contrast to earlier reports1,2,5, the appearance of the gland at autopsy has recently been interpreted as indicating cortical hyperactivity4. On the other hand, similarities exist between ovine, ketosis of pregnancy and primary ketosis of cattle6; the latter condition is held to be associated with adrenocortical insufficiency, and its treatment with adrenocorticotrophic hormone or with cortisol-like drugs has been advocated7.

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LINDNER, H. Blood Cortisol in the Sheep: Normal Concentration and Changes in Ketosis of Pregnancy. Nature 184, 1645–1646 (1959). https://doi.org/10.1038/1841645a0

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