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Case Reports
. 2018 Oct 17;89(0):e1-e6.
doi: 10.4102/jsava.v89i0.1669.

Xenotransfusion with packed bovine red blood cells to a wildebeest calf (Connochaetes taurinus)

Roxanne K Buck  1 , George F Stegmann, Luke A Poore, Tahiyya Shaik, Travis Gray, Gareth E Zeiler
Affiliations
Case Reports

Xenotransfusion with packed bovine red blood cells to a wildebeest calf (Connochaetes taurinus)

Roxanne K Buck et al. J S Afr Vet Assoc. .

Abstract

A 4-month-old female blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) was presented for bilateral pelvic limb fracture repair. Clinical examination under anaesthesia revealed a water-hammer pulse and a haematocrit of 0.13. A xenotransfusion was performed using bovine (Bos taurus) erythrocytes because of inability to acquire a wildebeest donor. Clinical parameters improved following transfusion and the post-operative haematocrit value was 0.31. The wildebeest remained physiologically stable with a gradually declining haematocrit for the next three days. On the third post-operative day, the wildebeest refractured its femur and was humanely euthanised because of the poor prognosis for further fracture repair. Xenotransfusion using blood from domestic ruminants represents a life-saving short-term emergency treatment of anaemic hypoxia in wild ungulates. Domestic goats could be used as blood donors for rare ungulates where allodonors are not available.

Keywords: Connochaetes taurinus; anaemia; blood transfusion; wildebeest; xenotransfusion.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships which may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Radiographs of the pelvic limbs of a 4-month-old wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) showing complete fractures to the (a) left tibia and (b) right femur sustained in a motor vehicle accident.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Pictorial representation of haematocrit (L/L) of a 4-month-old wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) that presented for fracture repair following trauma before and after xenotransfusion.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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