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Hamsters (Laboratory) - Pathology (view source)
Revision as of 12:36, 6 January 2011
, 12:36, 6 January 2011→Anatomy and Histology
==Anatomy and Histology==
==Anatomy and Histology==
This section has been included to allow familiarisation with the peculiarities of hamster anatomy to provide a context for some of the disease and pathological headings found below. Therefore only anatomical areas with specific features warranting emphasis have been included below;
This section has been included to allow familiarisation with the peculiarities of hamster anatomy to provide a context for some of the disease and pathological headings found below. Therefore only anatomical areas with specific features warranting emphasis have been included below;
===Integumentary System===
'''Hip/Flank Glands'''
Sebaceous glands with pigmented cells and terminal hairs that secrete during sexual arounsal in both sexes. Also used for olfactory territorial marking.
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===Reproductive System===
===Reproductive System===
'''Vaginal Discharge'''
Post-ovulatory dimethyl disulphide is used as a breeding tool by females but is often mistaken for an inflammatory exudate due to its similarity in smell to rotten eggs.
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'''Sexual Dimorphism'''
Male Syrian hamsters have much larger adrenal glands than females despite females being generally larger than males.
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'''Fostering Newborn'''
This is not usually possible in hamsters as infants are extremely immature when born and 'foreign' infants usually do not accept one another.
===Urinary System===
===Urinary System===
'''Kidneys'''
===Respiratory System===
Extremely long papillae extending into ureters. Very developed water conservation systems.
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===Cardio-Respiratory System===
'''Heart'''
The Purkinje network and sino-atrial node are easily accessible surgically and is a useful physiological feature for some experiments.
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===Digestive System===
===Digestive System===
'''Cheek Pouches'''
Hamsters have highly distensible evaginations of the lateral buccal walls which are used to store and transport food.
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'''GI Physiology'''
Long duodenum, long jejunum, short ileum, big cecum, long colon.
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'''Stomach'''
Distinct constriction between the forestomach and glandular stomach. No lesser curvature of the stomach resulting in two blind sacs. Pregastric fermentation occurs in hamsters.
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'''Cecum'''
Apical an basal portions seperated by a semilunar valve. There are a series of 4 valves in the ileocecolic area.
==Diseases==
==Diseases==