504 ABDOMINAL PREGNANCIES IN FARM RABBITS CORPA J. M., SEGURA P., MARTÍNEZ J., ORTEGA J., PERIS B. Dpt. Atención Sanitaria, Salud Pública y Sanidad Animal (Histología y Anatomía Patológica). Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales y de la Salud. Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU. Edificio Seminario, s/n, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain. jmcorpa@uch.ceu.es ABSTRACT Abdominal pregnancy is defined as the implantation and development of one or several segmented ova or embryos in the peritoneal cavity. Although this has been reported in several species, it is considered as a low incidence process. It is classified as a primary abdominal pregnancy, if there is no evidence of uterine rupture, with presumed regurgitation of early embryos from the uterine tube and as a secondary abdominal pregnancy, when there is evidence of uterine rupture. During a necropsy study of 550 adult fertile female New Zealand white rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) from two rabbit farms in Valencia (Spain), the main causes of elimination were studied. Twenty-eight abdominal pregnancies were diagnosed. Seven animals showed no lesions in their reproductive tract. The remaining twenty-one animals showed acute or chronic lesions in the reproductive tract. The classification as a primary or secondary condition is discussed. It may be concluded therefore that extrauterine pregnancies would not be such an unusual finding in rabbits (7.8% in one of the studied), and that this premise should be considered in the diagnostic approach when assessing rabbit doe pathology. New husbandry systems in rabbits such as artificial insemination are factors to be considered. Key words: Abdominal pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, rabbit doe, rabbitry , artificial insemination. INTRODUCTION Ectopic or extrauterine pregnancy denotes a pregnancy occurring elsewhere than in the cavity of the uterus. The term abdominal pregnancy indicates specifically an implantation in the peritoneal cavity and is usually used interchangeably to describe an ectopic pregnancy (PETERS, 1982). Abdominal pregnancies, although uncommon, have been described in humans (Y OVICH et al., 1985) and in several animal species (HONG and ARMSTRONG, 1978; PETERS, 1982). According its causes abdominal pregnancy has been categorized as a primary or secondary ectopic pregnancy. Primary ectopic pregnancies would be those in which a fertilized ovum enters the abdominal cavity instead of following the course through the tubal structures, and the entire pregnancy takes place outside of the uterus. Secondary Proceedings - 8th World Rabbit Congress –September 7-10, 2004 – Puebla, Mexico