S.TANCHEV, M. PASKALEV, V. SEMERDJIEV, E. ZHELYAZKOV and L. SOTIROV
Trakia University, BG - 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
TANCHEV, S., M. PASKALEV, V. SEMERDJIEV, E. ZHELYAZKOV and L. SOTIROV, 2007. Effect of the level of inbreeding upon skin graft survival times of in rabbits. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 13: 475-481
The investigations were performed in December 2005 - February 2006 with 15 male California rabbits. All animals had completer their growth and development (age of 8-12 months). They were divided into groups according to the degree of inbreeding as followed: outbred: Fx=0 - 4 rabbits (male); inbred: Fx = 0.25 - 3 rabbits (male); Fx=0.375 - 4 rabbits ( B); Fx=0.500 - 4 rabbits (male).
Prior to the operation, the rabbits were deprived from food and water for 12 hours. The general anaesthesia was done with ketamine hydrochloride (KetaminolR, Intervet Intenational B.V., Boxmeer - Holand) at 40 mg/kg w., i. m.; followed by xylazine hydrochloride (XylazinR, Alfasan, Woerden - Holland) at 5 mg/kg w., i. m 15 min later. The operation field behind the scapulas was shaved and prepped twice with iodininated alcohol. Rectangular skin flaps of 2x1 cm were cut from both sides of the dorsal line. After transfer of skin grafts from donors to recipients by the method of Bailey and Kohn (1965), they were fixed to wound margins with 4 sutures on each angle. Until transplantation, the grafts were put into a RPM medium. After the operation, the rabbits were administered antibiotic with a 72-hour effect.
The end result was determined in days on the basis of the time of graft persistence and rejection. The higher persistence of the graft was a criterion for a higher histocompatibility, i.e. a higher genetic similarity.
It was found out that in most cases, the increase in the degree of inbreeding resulted in statistically significant higher graft survival times and that at the same time, certain heterogeneity was present. In this case, it was more considerable as the achieved levels of inbreeding were not very high.