Abstract

BUCK, Roxanne K. et al. Xenotransfusion with packed bovine red blood cells to a wildebeest calf (Connochaetes taurinus). J. S. Afr. Vet. Assoc. [online]. 2018, vol.89, n.1, pp.1-6. ISSN 2224-9435.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/jsava.v89i0.1669.

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.

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