Sand accumulation in the digestive tract of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus): The role of the appendix.

ABSTRACT: We determined location and amount of accumulated sand in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) fed diets containing external (silicate) abrasives. Computed tomographic abdominal images of rabbits (n = 44) and guinea pigs (n = 16) that each received varying numbers (4-7) of different diets for 14 days each (total n = 311 computed tomographs), and radiographs of dissected GIT and presence of silica in GIT content (n = 46 animals) were evaluated. In rabbits, the majority of accumulated sand was located in the caecal appendix, an elongated, intestinal structure in the left side of the abdomen. The 'wash-back' colonic separation mechanism in rabbits may be partly responsible for a retrograde transport of sand back to the caecum, wh

SUBMITTER: Winter N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9298143 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature