Rats Flashcards
How many chromosomes does a rat have?
2n = 42
Thermoneutral zone of rats?
26-34 C
How much water does a rat drink per day?
10 mL/100 g of BW/day
How much food does a rat eat per day?
5 g/100 g BW/day
What volume of urine does a rat void per day?
3.3 ml/100 g BW/day
How many pairs of nipples does a rat have?
6
Where is the zymbal gland located?
Base of the ear
What is the vertebral formula of a rat?
7C 13T 6L 4S 27-40C
What is the dental formula of a rat?
2(I1/1, C0/0, PM0/0, M3/3)
Why can’t rats vomit?
Because of the presence of the limiting ridge (margo plicatus) separating the non-glandular and glandular portions of the stomach
How many liver lobes does a rat have? Names?
4 lobes –> Left, right, median and caudate
What is the Seno’s gland and where is it located?
Lateral nasal canal
Humidifies are and secretes a watery product at the rostral end of the nasal turbinates for the mucous layer
How many lung lobes does a rat have?
5
1 on the left
4 on the right (Cranial, middle, accessory, caudal)
When do rats reach sexual maturity?
~2-3 months (Females earlier than males)
Duration of parturition in a rat?
21-23 days
When do the eyes and ears open in rats?
Eyes = 14-17 days
Ears = 2.5-3.5 days (hear at 9 days)
ZDF rat
Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rat
Used to study type II diabetes (Develop diabetes b/t 7-12 weeks)
BB rat
BioBreeding rat, Wistar derived
Spontaneous autoimmune, insulin dependent diabetes
Otsuka Long Evans Tokushima Fatty Rat
Spontaneous model of type II diabetes
Late onset hyperglycemia + renal dysfunction by 30 weeks
Goto-Kakizaki rat
Type II non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus
Non-obese
Wistar derived
Cohen Diabetic rat
Non-obese, diet-induced type II diabetes
SHR
Spontaneously hypertensive rat
New Zealand Strain of Genetically Hypertensive Rats (GH)
Inbred strain with hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy and vascular disease
Milan hypertensive strain and normotensive strain
Developed from Wistar stock, selecting for high or low blood pressure
Age related glomerulosclerosis in MNS
Dahl salt sensitive (DS) and salt resistant (DR)
Propensity to develop hypertension when fed 8% NaCl diet
Inbred and non-inbred lines
Transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 expression and function impaired in sensitive
Lyon Hypertensive (LH), normotensive (LN) and Low Blood Pressure (LL) Strains)
Inbred strains of SD origin
LH - Increaesed BW, increased plasma lipid concentrations and markedly reduced lifespan
Fawn Hooded
Outbred
Hypertension, platelet function abnormality
Fawn Hooded Hypertension
Derived from outbred Fawn Hooded
Progressive proteinuria (albumin) and glomerulosclerosis at a young age
Brattleboro (DI, di/di)
Spontaneous mutation in Long-Evans hooded from Brattleboro
Central diabetes insipidus
Gunn rat
Spontaneous mutation in Wistar stock
Hereditary unconjugated bilirubinemia (Crigler-Najjar Syndrome)
Autosomal recessive
Lack UDP-glucuronyl-transferase in liver that conjugates bilirubin with glucuronic acid
Long Evans Cinnamon
Spontaneous cholangiofibrosis (Wilson’s disease)
Ceruloplastin deficiency, hepatic copper accumulation and hepatocellular injury caused by deletion of the rat homolog of human ATP7B (same as Mo mice)
WAG/Rii
Inbred, albino
Model of childhood absence epilepsy
What gross and histo pathology would you expect in a rat infected with Corynebacterium kutscheri?
Gross - Abscesses in lung, liver, kidney, skin and joints
Histo - Septic emboli in organs, irregularly branching arrays of gram positive rods
What is the best tissue to sample for culture of Corynebacterium kutscheri?
Cervical/submandibular lymph node
Gross pathology associated with Tyzzer’s disease in rats?
Foci of necrosis on liver, megaloileitis, myocardial necrosis, mesenteric lymphadenopathy
Stains used to detect Clostridium piliforme?
Warthin-Starry (best), Giemsa, methylene blue
You perform a necropsy on a rat who has had diarrhea and find ulcers in the cecum. What is the likely etiologic agent?
Salmonellosis
A rat with an indwelling catheter develops valvular endocarditis and hemorrhagic pneumonia? Etiologic agent?
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Causative agent of rat bite fever/Haverhill fever?
Streptobacillus moniliformis
Symptoms of Streptobacillus moniliformis in people?
Fever, vomiting, arthralgia, rash
Signs of Helicobacter pylori infection in nude rats?
Proliferative and ulcerative typhlitis, colitis and proctitis
Hemobartonellosis
Mycoplasma haemomuris (Haemobartonella muris)
Obligate parasite of erythrocytes
Transmitted by the spiny rat louse (Polyplax spinulosa)
Syphacia muris
Most common pinworm of rats
Eggs more ellipsoid
Dx - Tape test, PCR
Syphacia obvelata
Mouse pinworm
Eggs flat on one side
Dx - Tape test, PCR (Syphacia = Surface)
Aspiculuris tetraptera
Pinworm
Eggs laid in cecum and pass in feces, bilaterally symmetrical
Dx - Fecal float, direct exam of cecum and colon
Trichosomoides crassicauda
Bladder threadworm
Embryonated eggs passed in urine –> Ingesion –> Hatch in stomach and penetrate stomach wall to peritoneal cavity or bloodstream
Dx - Filter urine and examine filter medium
Tx - Ivermectin
Rodentoleptis nana
Dwarf tapeworm
Direct or indirect (grain beetle/fleas) life cycle
Eggs have hooklets and polar filaments
Hymenolepis diminuta
Rat tapeworm
Always indirect life cycle (grain beetle/flea/cockroach)
Eggs have hooklets, no polar filaments
Radfordia ensifera
Rat fur mite - Most common ectoparasite of rats
Pelage-inhabiting
Eggs persist in environment and hatch in 7-8 days
Tarsal claws on 2nd pair of legs are paired and equal
Dx - PCR of skin swab or cage swab (most reliable), hair pluck, tape test, postmortem put on black background and look for mites
Tx - Ivermectin, selemectin, moxidectin
Polyplax spinulosa
Spined rat louse, blood-sucking/anoplura
Vector of Mycoplasma haemomuris
Dx - Examine fur, screen blood smears for H. muris if lice detected
Tx - Ivermectin
Hallmark gross path and histo of Pneumocystis carinii?
Lungs fail to collapse
Perivascular cuffing, fungal cysts in alveoli with methenamine silver stain
Autoclaving diets reduces concentrations of what nutrients?
Lysine, Vit A, Vit E, riboflavin, thiamin
Recommended light levels for albino rats? Consequence if light too high?
325-400 lux, 1 m above the floor
Retinal degeneration
Hearing range of rats?
0.25-76 kHz
What strain of rat commonly develops testicular tumors? What types of tumors are they?
F344
Interstitial cell/leydig cell tumors
Pituitary tumors in the rat often produce what hormone?
Prolactin
What strain of rats commonly develops large granular lymphocytic leukemia? Organ of origin?
F344
Arises in spleen
Most common type of mammary tumor in rats?
Fibroadenoma
Rats prone to hydronephrosis?
Brown Norway, Gunn, SD, Zucker
Are males or females more prone to chronic progressive nephropathy?
Males