Isolation and characterization of a black-pigmented Corynebacterium sp. from a woman with spontaneous abortion.

An unusual black-pigmented coryneform bacterium was isolated from the urogenital tract of a woman who experienced a spontaneous abortion during month 6 of pregnancy. Biochemical and chemotaxonomic analyses demonstrated that the unknown bacterium belonged to the genus Corynebacterium. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA sequences (GenBank accession no. AF220220) revealed that the organism was a member of a distinct subline which includes uncultured Corynebacterium MTcory 1P (GenBank accession no. AF115934), derived from prostatic fluid, and Corynebacterium CDC B8037 (GenBank accession no. AF033314), an uncharacterized black-pigmented coryneform bacterium. On the basis of chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic evidence, this organism probably represents a new species and is most closely related to the uncharacterized Centers for Disease Control and Prevention group 4 coryneforms. Our strain is designated CN-1 (ATCC 700975).

Hormonal contraception of feral mares with Silastic rods.

Homogeneous Silastic rods containing ethinylestradiol (EE) (1.5 or 4 g), estradiol-17 beta (E) (4 g) or progesterone (P) (6 g) were implanted into feral mares (Equus caballus) between 4- and 10-yr-old. Six treatment groups (greater than or equal to 10 mares/group) of non-pregnant mares received 36 g P and 12 g E (P+E), 36 g P and 8 g EE (P+HEE), 1.5 g EE (LEE), 3 g EE (MEE, 8 g EE (HEE) or control-implanted mares (CI). CI received implants containing no steroid. Two groups of pregnant mares received P+HEE or HEE. Stallions were placed with the mares 15 to 26 mo after implanting. Blood was collected biweekly for up to 28 mo after implanting and serum analyzed for P by radioimmunoassay. A single P value greater than or equal to 2.5 ng/ml indicated ovulation and 2 consecutive values greater than or equal to 2.5 ng/ml indicated pregnancy. Serum from blood collected before and at 4, 12, 24, 50, 64 and 89 wk after implanting was analyzed for EE concentrations. All animals pregnant at the time of contraceptive placement delivered normal foals. Contraceptive efficacy for groups LEE, MEE, HEE and P+HEE were 75, 75, 100, and 100%, respectively after two breeding seasons. Suppression of ovulation appeared to be inversely related to the concentration of EE used in the implant. The percent of animals ovulating after 2 yr of contraception in each group was 100, 100, 88, 62, 20, and 12 for groups CI, P+E, LEE, MEE, HEE and P+HEE, respectively. The pregnancy rate for the same groups was 100, 78, 25, 25, 0 and 0%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ovarian function in captive feral mares.

Ovarian function was monitored for 33 mo in captive feral mares (Equus caballus) by following serum progesterone (P) levels. A P level greater than 2.0 ng/ml was considered indicative of ovulation. Feral mares were seasonally polyestrus with the majority of animals ovulating between May and October. During the first year after capture, none of the mares ovulated during the anestrous season. However, in subsequent years, approximately 10% of mares ovulated during the months of November, January and February. P levels during the luteal phase of the cycle ranged from 2.0 to 21.0 ng/ml which were similar to levels in domestic breeds of mares. The pattern of P concentrations during pregnancy was also similar to the pattern in domestic mares. These data confirmed the seasonality of ovulation in feral mares but indicated that this seasonality was not as rigid as previously believed. Captive feral mares were similar to domestic breeds in the percentage of mares ovulating all year and in the P levels achieved during the estrous cycle and pregnancy.

Effects of hormone implants on estrus and ovulation in feral mares.

Five groups of 30 captive feral mares each were implanted with silastic rods containing estradiol (E) and/or progesterone (P): E only with 8 g, P only with 24 g, P+HE with 8 g P + 8 g E, HP+E with 12 g P + 4 g E, HP+LE with 12 g P + 2 g E. Arbitrary group designations were differentiated by relative high (H) and low (L) amounts of steroid. Thirty mares received silastic rods containing no hormone (CI). Five mares from each group were bled every 2 wk for 4 mo and monthly for another 5 mo. All mares were tested for estrus by allowing them to stand in an alley between two pens of stallions and visually monitoring her response to the stallion. Serum P levels increased from 0.3 +/- 0.1 to 1.8 +/- 0.1 ng/ml in the P only group during the first 3 wk after implanting. Levels remained stable for the next 2 wk and then began a gradual decline. Serum P levels in the other groups were lower. Serum E levels were slightly increased in the groups receiving 8 g of E (E only and P+HE groups). Significantly fewer animals in the E only and P+HE groups exhibited estrus as compared with control animals (10 of 23 and 13 of 26 versus 22 of 25, respectively, P less than or equal to 0.003). However, animals receiving 24 g of P (P only) showed similar occurrences of estrus as controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)