Conjoined Twins in Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus): Case Report.
5 affiliations
- 1Veterinary Pathology Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, National University of Cajamarca, Cajamarca, Av. Atahualpa, Km. 3, Cajamarca 06003, Peru.
- 2Agrostology Laboratory, Institute for Livestock and Biotechnology Research, Faculty of Animal Science, Biotechnology, Agribusiness and Data Science, Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza National University of Amazonas, Chachapoyas 01001, Peru.
- 3Chemistry Laboratory, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, National University of Cañete, San Vicente de Cañete 15701, Peru.
- 4National Institute of Agricultural Innovation, Baños del Inca Agricultural Research Station, Cajamarca, Jirón Wiracocha, No. S/N, Los Baños del Inca 06004, Peru.
- 5Institute for Research in Livestock and Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Science, Biotechnology, Agribusiness and Data Science, Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza National University of Amazonas, Chachapoyas 01001, Peru.
Abstract
This study reports a case of conjoined twins in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) from the Peru breed, in the Cajamarca region, Peru. A one-year-old female gave birth to normal offspring and a pair of conjoined twins born dead; The latter were carried out with morphological, radiographic and echographic evaluations, and the blood count and serum biochemical profile of the dam were analyzed. The twins presented cephalothoraco-omphalopagus fusion, characterized by a single skull with cyclopia, arhinia and astomy, ventral thoracoabdominal fusion, the pelvis separated and four extremities (four pairs) completely dislocated. Radiographic and ultrasound evaluations identified two hearts and two pairs of kidneys, with preserved gross sonographic morphology and no evident major structural abnormalities. The maternal blood count showed mild hypochromic macrocytosis and mild thrombocytopenia, with the rest of the hematological and biochemical parameters within normal ranges. It was concluded that the hallmarks are compatible with an early developmental disturbance affecting midline structures, although the precise timing and etiology could not be definitively established, which selectively affected the structures of the medial line. This report expands the scarcity of evidence available on serious congenital malformations in guinea pigs.
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BibTeX
@article{cuevarodriguez2026conjoined,
title = {{Conjoined Twins in Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus): Case Report.}},
author = {Medali Cueva-Rodríguez and Jhenny Sánchez-Estela and Jorge Portal-Torres and Giussepe Reyna-Cotrina and Flor L Mejía and Bessy Castillo-Santamaria and Judith Estela-Manrique and William Bardales Escalante},
journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ani16203291},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42939221},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Conjoined Twins in Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus): Case Report.
AU - Medali Cueva-Rodríguez
AU - Jhenny Sánchez-Estela
AU - Jorge Portal-Torres
AU - Giussepe Reyna-Cotrina
AU - Flor L Mejía
AU - Bessy Castillo-Santamaria
AU - Judith Estela-Manrique
AU - William Bardales Escalante
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
DO - 10.3390/ani16203291
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42939221
AB - This study reports a case of conjoined twins in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) from the Peru breed, in the Cajamarca region, Peru. A one-year-old female gave birth to normal offspring and a pair of conjoined twins born dead; The latter were carried out with morphological, radiographic and echographic evaluations, and the blood count and serum biochemical profile of the dam were analyzed. The twins presented cephalothoraco-omphalopagus fusion, characterized by a single skull with cyclopia, arhinia and astomy, ventral thoracoabdominal fusion, the pelvis separated and four extremities (four pairs) completely dislocated. Radiographic and ultrasound evaluations identified two hearts and two pairs of kidneys, with preserved gross sonographic morphology and no evident major structural abnormalities. The maternal blood count showed mild hypochromic macrocytosis and mild thrombocytopenia, with the rest of the hematological and biochemical parameters within normal ranges. It was concluded that the hallmarks are compatible with an early developmental disturbance affecting midline structures, although the precise timing and etiology could not be definitively established, which selectively affected the structures of the medial line. This report expands the scarcity of evidence available on serious congenital malformations in guinea pigs.
SN - 2076-2615
ER -