• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.45-49
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• 1992

Bovine drumstick of neutrophil leucocytes was studied on the quantitative and morphological characteristics and was evaluated as a diagnostic measure for bovine freemartin in newborn calves. Nuclear area of neutrophil (A, ${\mu}m^2$) and drumstick area (B, ${\mu}m^2$) were significantly correlated with average diameter of drumstick (ADD, ${\mu}m$) and following regression equations were obtained : $A=45({\pm}3)$ ADD-8, r = 0.74, $s.e.{\pm}0.6$, p < 0.01, $B=1.72({\pm}0.05)$ ADD-0.98, r = 0.93, $s.e.{\pm}0.1$, p < 0.01 Eight female siblings of heterosexual multiplets were diagnosed as freemartin from the results of chromosome analysis. Heterosexual multiplets had a very low frequency of drumstick in the nucleus of neutrophils irrespective of genetic sex. Diameters of drumstick fund in freemartin and male cotwin did not differ from those of normal cows. Examinations of drumstick in 800 neutrophils for both female and male siblings are concluded to be the best way to aid the detection of freemartinism of heterosexual twins at early life.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.858-861
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• 2018

The freemartinism syndrome affects almost all female calves born as co-twins to male calves, whereas little is known about this phenomenon in female sheep. Within this context, 1,185 ewe-lambs from the Ripollesa sheep breed were genotyped for the presence of oY1 polymorphism (a non-autosomal region of the Y chromosome). Neither ewe-lambs from single births (856) nor ewe-lambs from all-female multiple births (170) were revealed as freemartins, whereas five of 159 ewe-lambs from multiple births with male co-twins were freemartins ($3.15{\pm}1.38%$). All freemartin ewe-lambs were confirmed by physical examination of external genitalia. The results confirm a low incidence of freemartinism from heterosexual twin pregnancies in Ripollesa sheep.