Ulrich Bleul

University of Zurich | UZH · Clinic of Reproductive Medicine

Respiratory disease syndrome (RDS) is a condition of neonatal calves in which insufficient oxygen uptake and increased retention of carbon dioxide result in respiratory acidosis. This condition is more common in premature calves and seems to be associated with a deficiency of surfactant. Although there is no uniform definition of RDS, clinical sign...

There have been many studies on perinatal and postnatal mortality in calves, but most are limited to small numbers of breeds or herds. The goal of this study was to determine the perinatal (first 24 h) and postnatal mortality rates during the first four months in 22 breeds and cross-breeds commonly occurring in Switzerland and to identify possible...

Background: Maturation of oocytes under in vitro conditions (IVM) results in impaired developmental competence compared to oocytes matured in vivo. As oocytes are closely coupled to their cumulus complex, elucidating aberrations in cumulus metabolism in vitro is important to bridge the gap towards more physiological maturation conditions. The aim...

In vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes has still a negative impact on the developmental competence of oocytes. Therefore, this study analysed the cumulus proteome of individual cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) with and without maturational competence, matured under in vivo or in vitro conditions (n = 5 per group). A novel, ultrasensitive mass spectrom...

BOVINE PRENATAL, PERINATAL AND NEONATAL MEDICINE is a comprehensive modern textbook providing the latest fundamental and practical information on the perinatal period in the cow and her calf/calves, with an emphasis on the dairy cow-calf dyad. It is a ‘pracademic’ book – using academic evidence to support clinical decision-making by veterinary prac...

The bovine genital tract harbors a dynamic microbiome. Genital tract microbial communities in healthy animals have been characterized using next-generation sequencing methods showing that microbe compositions differ between the vagina and uterus, more so during the postpartum period. Pre-calving fecal and vaginal, and endometrial swabs at the diffe...

The goal of this study was to investigate the hair cortisol concentration (HCC) in healthy and ill cows and their newborn calves. A total of 40 cows and their 42 newborn calves were divided into two groups: group 1 consisted of 19 clinically healthy cows and their 20 newborn calves, and group 2 comprised 21 cows that had had a chronic illness in th...

Mastitis in beef cows has not been studied as extensively as mastitis in dairy cows, and data from Switzerland are lacking. Various studies have shown a similar pathogen spectrum as in dairy cows, which could not be confirmed in this study. To gather initial data from Switzerland, milk samples from 297 lactating beef cows from 31 herds from the Eng...

Background Nursing and sucking are essential for adequate nourishment of preweaned calves and the relationship between sucking indices has not been studied. The goal of this study was to investigate the number of sucks per litre of milk and per minute of drinking and the amount of milk ingested per suck in healthy preweaned calves. Correlation coef...

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) originate from gonocytes that differentiate from primordial germ cells (PGCs). In the developing mouse testis, expression of the gene LIM homeobox 1 (Lhx1) marks the most undifferentiated SSCs, which has not yet been reported for spermatogonia-like cells generated in vitro. Previously, it was shown that a chemical i...

English Repeated drenching of calves – ­Ultra­sonographic findings of the ­reticulum and abomasum and ­short-term ­effects on pH and ­D-lactate in rumen fluid and blood An oesophageal tube feeder was used to administer milk to six clinically healthy calves every 12 hours for a total of three feedings. The calves were seven to nine days of age, and...

Introduction: An oesophageal tube feeder was used to administer milk to six clinically healthy calves every 12 hours for a total of three feedings. The calves were seven to nine days of age, and each feeding consisted of a volume of milk that was 6 % of the body weight of the calves. The reticulum and abomasum were scanned ultrasonographically bef...

In vitro Maturation (IVM) is a crucial and rate limiting factor in in the in vitro production of equine embryos. A previous study elucidated important metabolic aberrations in cumulus cells due to IVM (Walter et al. 2019). This study investigated the basal protein content in maturation medium and the proteins secreted by equine cumulus- oocyte-comp...

Background In cows with acute toxic mastitis (ATM), the leukogram aids in the assessment of the severity of disease. The goal of our study was to compare the leukogram of 158 cows with ATM (cases) and 168 clinically healthy cows (controls). We hypothesised that the leukograms of surviving and non-surviving cows differ and that there are variables o...

Several aspects of postnatal pulmonary adaption in the bovine neonate remain unclear, particularly the dynamics and regional ventilation of the lungs. We used electric impedance tomography (EIT) to measure changes in ventilation in the first 3 weeks of life in 20 non-sedated neonatal calves born without difficulty in sternal recumbency. Arterial bl...

During the development of the male germline, spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) originate from gonocytes that differentiate from primordial germ cells (PGCs). In the developing and regenerating mouse testis, expression of the gene LIM homeobox 1 ( Lhx1 ) marks the most undifferentiated SSCs. However, an enrichment of Lhx1 expression in spermatogonia-...

Objective: As dairy herds increase in size, close monitoring of health becomes a necessity, but this is expensive and labour-intensive. Early detection of febrile diseases is essential for economical and welfare reasons and to prevent the spread of disease. The goal of this study was therefore to evaluate a mobile, non-invasive technique for measu...

Background: Acute toxic mastitis is characterised by typical clinical findings and changes in the leukogram. The goal of our study was to compare the leukogram of 158 cows with toxic mastitis and 168 clinically healthy cows. The cows were examined clinically and underwent haematological and biochemical examination of blood and bacteriological cultu...

Various metabolic and hormonal factors expressed in cumulus cells are positively correlated with the in vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes. However, the role of hypoxia sensing both during maturation of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) as well as during the resumption of meiosis remains uncertain. HIF1alpha plays major roles in cellular responses to...

Complement C3 is a central player in the complement and coagu-lation cascades, which was already characterized as constituent of follicular fluid. Overrepresentation of C3 in cumulus of in vivo suc-cessfully matured oocytes compared to in vitro successfully matured was detected in a previous proteomics study. This raised the hypoth-esis of an activ...

Background As dairy herds increase in size, close monitoring of health becomes a necessity, but this is expensive and labour-intensive. Early detection of febrile diseases is essential for economical and welfare reasons and to prevent the spread of disease. The goal of this study was therefore to evaluate a mobile, non-invasive technique for measur...

Objective In human medicine, contrary to bovine medicine, close monitoring of risk pregnancies is an integral part of obstetrics. A prerequisite for this is the knowledge of the normal findings during pregnancy. Material and methods For this purpose serial transrectal sonographic examination of the placentomes, uterine wall, and fetal membranes wer...

The development of ovarian follicles takes place under reduced oxygen tension. This implies a physiological role of hypoxia during maturation of COCs and, thereby, in resumption of meiosis. HIF1α acts as a key mediator in cellular responses to hypoxia. Cumulus cells (CC) express several metabolic and hormonal factors, the presence of which impacts...

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of selective dry cow treatment (SDCT) on udder health in Swiss dairy farms compared to a blanket dry cow treatment (BDCT). Cows with a somatic cell count (SCC) of less than 250'000 cells/ml and after BDCT in the previous dry period were selected. These animals received a SDCT...

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of selective dry cow treatment (SDCT) on udder health in Swiss dairy farms compared to a blanket dry cow treatment (BDCT). Cows with a somatic cell count (SCC) of less than 250'000 cells/ml and after BDCT in the previous dry period were selected. These animals received a SDCT in the subseque...

The ovine developmental model represents the standard in vivo model for studies involving maternofetal physiology, amniotic fluid (AF) research, and fetal cell therapy prior to human clinical use. Although being close to the human fetal anatomy, 2 separate extraembryonic fluid compartments remain during gestation, known as the amnion and the allant...

The role of reduced oxygen tension in maturation of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) and resumption of meiosis is unclear, in bovine and in other species. HIF1α is the best3 known master regulator of cellular response to hypoxia. Several metabolic and hormonal factors expressed in cumulus cells are positively associated with in vitro maturation (IVM...

s 101 | Simultaneous profiling of the equine cumulus proteome and metabolome after maturation invivo and invitro Simultanes Profiling des equinen Cumulus-Proteoms und Metaboloms nach der Reifung in vivo und in vitro Maturation of oocytes under in vitro conditions (IVM) results in impaired developmental competence compared to oocytes matured in vivo...

Objective: Aim of this study was to measure the dynamic changes of lung ventilation in new born calves over the first 3 weeks of their life using electrical impedance tomography (EIT). Methods: EIT parameters were recorded for at least 21 breaths at 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24 hours and at day 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 1...

Amniotic fluid represents an abundant source of multipotent stem cells, referred as broadly mul-tipotent given their differentiation potential and expression of pluripotency-related genes. How-ever, the origin of this broadly multipotent cellular fraction is not fully understood. Several sources have been proposed so far, including embryonic and ex...

Das Sexualverhalten von Stuten und Hengsten kann ein erfolgreiches Training und die Teilnahme an Wettkämpfen erheblich erschweren, da sich Rosse- und Hengstverhalten häufig auch negativ auf die erwünschte Leistungsbereitschaft der Tiere auswirken. Da gerade die „Hochleistungssportler“ häufig ein wertvolles genetisches Potenzial besitzen, sollte die...

Equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is a severe manifestation of equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) infection. Prevention and treatment of EHM during EHV-1 outbreaks is critical, but no reliable and tested specific medication is available. Due to the thromboischemic nature of EHM and due to the fact that EHV-1 entry in cells is blocked by hepari...

In vitro maturation (IVM) is the first rate-limiting step in in vitro embryo production. Developmental rates of cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) matured in vitro are impaired in comparison to COCs matured in vivo. Cumulus cells are in a close bidirectional communication with their oocytes during the maturation process and can mirror the oocytes meta...

Background Haplotypes with reduced or missing homozygosity may harbor deleterious alleles that compromise juvenile survival. A scan for homozygous haplotype deficiency revealed a short segment on bovine chromosome 19 (Braunvieh haplotype 2, BH2) that was associated with high juvenile mortality in Braunvieh cattle. However, the molecular genetic und...

Background Haplotypes with reduced or missing homozygosity may harbor deleterious alleles that compromise juvenile survival. A scan for homozygous haplotype deficiency revealed a short segment on bovine chromosome 19 (Braunvieh haplotype 2, BH2) that was associated with high juvenile mortality in Braunvieh cattle. However, the molecular genetic und...

Cumulus cells are in a close bidirectional communication and may therefore serve as indicator for oocytal well-being. Elucidation of variations in protein expression of cumulus cells from cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) that matured successfully in vitro and COCs that failed to mature, may provide valuable information on the oocytes maturation pote...

The present paper summarizes a comprehensive retrospective study that was undertaken to investigate effects of meteorological factors and lunar cycle on gestation length and daily birth rate in cows. To this end, all cattle births in Switzerland between 2008 and 2010 (n = 2,091,159) were related to detailed matched weather recordings. The study rev...

Objective: To ultrasonographically investigate the effect of administration of exogenous progesterone using a progesterone-releasing intravaginal device (PRID), with or without the addition of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG), to cows with cystic ovarian disease (COD) in the first month postpartum. Material and method: Thirty-three dairy cows...

The massive increase in size of the fetus and uterus in the last trimester is accompanied by an increasing demand for nutrients and oxygen, and it is assumed that this demand is met by increasing uterine and fetal perfusion. The goals of this study were to measure the perfusion of the uterine arteries and the placentomes in the last month of gestat...

Especially in the post partum period ovarian cysts are one of the major cause for infertility in cows. The reason for poor fertility is the ability of the cysts to prevent ovulation. Disturbances in the preovulatory LH surge lead to an anovulatory follicle that continues to grow and becomes a follicular cyst. This cyst form is able to prevent growt...

Collection of homogenous sets of COC from excised ovaries is an important prerequisite for in vitro embryo production for research purposes. Selection of ovaries collected from slaughtered animals is usually limited to macroscopic evaluation of the reproductive tract. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of ovarian follicles and corp...

The cumulus oophorus escorts its oocyte through final maturation stages, where it undergoes a tremendous morphological transformation: stimulated by oocyte secreted factors and follicular stimulating hormone, cumulus cells produce large amounts of extracellular matrix. The goal of this study was the characterization of cumulus cell counts for singl...

Availability of large quantities of ova is a major prerequisite for in vitro embryo production for research purposes. This study tested a novel method to harvest cumulus oocyte complexes (COC) from ovaries of slaughterhouse cows through centrifugation after slicing with the aim to increase COC yield. Using this method the recovery rate was improved...

Objective To compare the agreement, repeatability and trending ability of transpulmonary thermodilution (TPTD) and pulmonary artery thermodilution (PATD) cardiac output () measurements in unsedated newborn calves.Study designProspective experimental trial.AnimalsEight newborn calves weighing a median (range) of 53 (46–59) kg.Methods Pulmonary and f...

Background Skin malformations that resembled manifestations of Ehlers-Danlos-Syndrome were described in a variety of domestic animals during the last century as cutis hyperelastica, hyperelastosis cutis, dermatosparaxis, dermal/collagen dysplasia, dermal/cutaneous asthenia or Ehlers-Danlos-like syndrome/s. In 2007, the mutation responsible for Here...

OBJECTIVE: To describe the physiological activity of the myometrium in oestrus and dioestrus and the induced activity after medication in cows with particular reference to segmental differences. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Six cows were given the pharmaceuticals carbetocin, oxytocin and prostaglandin (PG) F2α (dinoprost) intramuscularly and PGE2 intrave...

The case report describes the symptoms and diagnostic methods of a spina bifida aperta in a new born lamb. The most relevant clinical findings were recumbency immediately after birth with normal consciousness and suckling reflexes, alterations of the skin and coat in the lumbosacral region as well as dysuria. The biochemical and haematological scre...

The effects of storage temperature, storage duration and the type of syringe on blood gas and acid–base values in blood of newborn calves were investigated using commercial blood gas syringes coated with heparin (Monovette blood gas syringe, Mono) or heparinised injection syringes (HS). The pH, partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2), partial pre...

Collection of cumulus enclosed oocytes from excised ovaries has become an ambitious task in recent years as a result of a decrease in slaughtering of horses because of ethical and political reasons. This increases the demand for highly efficient procedures to collect the maximum amount of oocytes out of these ovaries. The main objective of this stu...

Objective To validate the i-STAT, a portable hand-held analyzer that allows point-of-care measurement of blood gases, acid–base, lactate, and other blood variables in food animal practice for analysis of blood samples of newborn calves.DesignProspective observational study.SettingUniversity teaching hospital.Measurements and Main ResultsA total of...

The maternal portion of the bovine placenta receives blood mainly from the uterine arteries (AUT) and the fetal portion from the umbilical arteries (AUM). Placental perfusion is crucial for fetal development and undergoes adaptive changes during pregnancy according to the fetal requirements. One goal of this study was to investigate changes in Dopp...

Cumulus cells undergo a close bidirectional communication with their oocyte during the maturation process. Elucidation of alterations in the cumulus proteome of immature and in-vitro matured oocytes will contribute to a better understanding of this critical step in the in-vitro embryo production. In this study we compared four pools of compact cumu...

Floppy kid syndrome (FKS) affects goat kids in the first month of life and is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. The condition is characterized by neurological signs that can be ascribed to increased plasma d-lactate concentrations. The source of d-lactate has not been identified conclusively, but d-lactate-producing bacteria in th...

Amniotic fluid cells (AFCs) have been proposed as a valuable source for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. However, before clinical implementation, rigorous evaluation of this cell source in clinically relevant animal models accepted by regulatory authorities is indispensable. Today, the ovine model represents one of the most accepted pr...

A 3-year-old female alpaca was referred to the hospital because of tenesmus. Clinical examination revealed a habitual vaginal prolapse with tenesmus during urination and defecation. On vaginoscopic examination a persistent hymen was detected. Ultrasonography of the caudal abdomen showed an echogenic fluid-filled uterus. A diagnostic laparotomy led...

Postnatal mixed respiratory-metabolic acidosis is common in calves, and depending on its severity can impair vitality or even cause death. Carbon dioxide accounts for the respiratory component and L-lactate for the metabolic component of the mixed acidosis, but it remains unclear which component determines the severity and duration of the acidosis....

Latent equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) infection is common in horse populations worldwide and estimated to reach a prevalence nearing 90% in some areas. The virus causes acute outbreaks of disease that are characterized by abortion and sporadic cases of myeloencephalopathy (EHM), both severe threats to equine facilities. Different strains vary in...

Background The goal of this study was to examine the response of the cyclic corpus luteum of cows to the administration of a prostaglandin F2α analogue (PGF) during the transition of refractoriness to responsiveness by investigating ultrasonographic changes in the corpus luteum and changes in plasma progesterone concentration in cows following the...

BACKGROUND: Equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is a highly prevalent pathogen in horse populations worldwide. Oronasal infection represents the classic route of disease transmission. Venereal shedding of EHV-1 is not regarded relevant in terms of virus spreading, which is in contrast to the close relatives of EHV-1, bovine and suid alphaherpesvirus, for w...

Eight cows underwent Doppler sonographic examinations of the milk vein and musculophrenic vein from 9days prepartum to 300days postpartum. A 7.5-MHz linear transducer was used to determine the inner diameter of the veins and blood flow velocities and volumes on the left side in standing, non-sedated animals. Cows were weighed and milk yield measure...

A number of drugs have been used to treat asphyxia in new-born calves and the aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of commonly-used stimulant drugs on ventilation, arterial blood gas and acid base variables. A group (n = 18) of new-born (3–15 h old) calves were treated in a randomised sequence with doxapram (40 mg, IV), lobeline (...

A 10-year-old Swiss Braunvieh cow near term was referred to our clinic because of severe abdominal distension, which caused loss of demarcation between the udder and ventral abdominal wall. Ultrasonographic examination revealed marked ascites and multiple echogenic nodules in the greater omentum. Based on the findings, non-inflammatory ascites attr...

Zusammenfassung: Im vorliegenden Fallbericht wird eine 10-jährige hochträchtige Braunviehkuh mit dem auffälligsten äusseren Befund eines stark dilatierten Abdomens mit konturlosem Übergang vom Euter zur ventralen Bauchwand vorgestellt. Die sonographische Untersuchung ergab einen hochgradigen Aszites und mehrere echogene knotige Verdickungen im gros...

Over the last 10 years Swiss Braunvieh cattle with malformations of the pinnae have repeatedly been reported. Endoscopy revealed a shortened and thickened epiglottis and malformations of the arytenoid cartilage in some of these animals. In most cases the elastic cartilage was replaced by fibrocartilage and hyaline cartilage. The direct cause and pa...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a GnRH vaccine (Equity) on behavior and gonadal function in horses with unwanted behavior. The reason for the treatment was asked using a questionnaire and the findings of physical examination, rectal palpation as well as rectal ultrasonography, were recorded. The results of these examinations...

Ziel dieser Studie war es, die Wirkung einer GnRH-Vakzine (Equity®) auf das Verhalten und die Gonadenfunktion von Pferden mit unerwünschtem Verhalten zu untersuchen. Anhand eines Fragebogens wurden der Grund für die Behandlung erfragt, sowie die Befunde der klinischen, rektalen palpatorischen und ultrasonographischen Untersuchungen und das Verhalte...

Respiratory stimulants are widely used in asphyxic neonatal calves despite a lack of data about their effectiveness and indications of possible side effects. The effect of doxapram and theophylline on respiratory, cardiovascular, and acid-base variables was investigated in 10 healthy neonatal calves (Bos Taurus). A venous, a peripheral arterial, an...