Ovarian Morphology, Body Weight and Steroid Hormones in Female Dromedary camels

Abstract

The present work was done to investigate the interrelationship between estimated body weight, reproductive tract morphometry, ovarian anatomical structures and serum oestradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) in the she-camel (Camelus dromedarius). Forty-two she-camels (24 Sahraoui, 12 Sahraoui × Chaambi and 6 Targui; 0.5–24 years old) were examined. Body weight was estimated by the barymetric formula of Boué (1949) from height at the withers, thoracic circumference and abdominal circumference. The genital tract and both ovaries were weighed, each ovary was classified as follicle, corpus luteum (CL), cyst, hydrobursitis or no structure detected (NSD), and E2 and P4 were assayed. Estimated body weight averaged 432.3 ± 15.5 kg. Total ovarian weight increased with body weight (rho = 0.57, P < 0.001), whereas genital tract weight did not (rho = 0.21, P = 0.23) and followed uterine condition (median 2, 027 g with involution, abortion or endometritis against 574 g in the others). One third of the ovaries (33.3%) were NSD, and ovarian weight differed among structural classes (P < 0.0001), the five cystic ovaries weighing 114.8 ± 42.6 g against 4.4 ± 0.6 g for NSD ovaries. Left and right ovaries did not differ in weight or in luteal tissue. Serum E2 (31.8 ± 5.2 pg/ml) and P4 (1.47 ± 0.30 ng/ml) were low. P4 exceeded 1 ng/ml in 14 of 40 she-camels, but it was unrelated to the presence of a CL (kappa = −0.03), only 5 she-camels showing both. In an age-adjusted analysis of 39 she-camels, body weight was modestly related to ovarian weight (elasticity 1.35–1.57), the two ovaries varied together (partial rho = 0.44) and uterine weight was independent of body weight, ovarian weight and age. It could be concluded that body size, organ weights, ovarian anatomy and steroid levels give complementary and not interchangeable information on the reproductive status of the she-camel.