Diprosopiasis in a lamb. A case report.
Conjoined twinning has been reported in most of the domestic animal species. Among them, sheep have the highest incidence of craniofacial defects. A live male crossbreed dystocic two-headed lamb was delivered from a 2-year-old Pinzerita sheep after first mating. After 40 h of life, the lamb spontaneously died. The most important gross findings involved the head, whereas the examination of different organ and tissue sections did not reveal remarkable histomorphological changes. The lamb was classified as a conjoined twinning and, on the basis of the facial duplication, as a diprosopus tetraophtalmus.
Department of Morphology, Biochemistry, Physiology and Animal Production, Section of Morphology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
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Mazzullo
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Germanà
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De Vico
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Germanà
D000818:Animals; D006257:Head / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D012756:Sheep / Q000002:abnormalities*; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000151:congenital / Q000473:pathology*; D014428:Twins, Conjoined / Q000473:pathology*