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Embryo collection in prepubertal gilts and attempts to develop an improved embryo transfer technique
1Institute of Animal Husbandry and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Germany.
The Veterinary Record
|July 3, 2002
Summary
Conventional surgical embryo transfer in gilts resulted in higher pregnancy rates and embryo survival compared to a novel semi-endoscopic approach. This study highlights the effectiveness of surgical methods for swine embryo transfer.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Reproductive Biology
- Animal Science
Background:
- Superovulation protocols are crucial for maximizing embryo yield in swine.
- Assessing embryo viability and transfer techniques are key to successful swine reproduction.
- Hormonal treatments using equine chorionic gonadotrophin and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) are common for inducing ovulation in gilts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of conventional surgical embryo transfer versus a semi-endoscopic approach in prepubertal gilts.
- To evaluate pregnancy rates and embryo survival following different embryo transfer methods.
- To determine the optimal method for transferring high-quality blastocysts in swine.
Main Methods:
- Prepubertal gilts underwent hormonal treatment for superovulation, followed by insemination.
- Embryos were collected, and morphologically intact blastocysts were selected for transfer.
- Embryo transfer was performed using either conventional surgical techniques or a semi-endoscopic method into synchronized recipients.
- Pregnancy rates and fetal development were assessed four weeks post-transfer.
Main Results:
- A high response rate (98.4%) to superovulation was observed, yielding an average of 19.1 ova or embryos per gilt.
- Conventional surgical transfer resulted in significantly higher pregnancy rates (88%) and embryo survival (47%) compared to the semi-endoscopic method (47% pregnancy, 41% survival).
- The semi-endoscopic approach led to significantly lower pregnancy establishment and embryo survival rates (P<0.05).
Conclusions:
- Conventional surgical embryo transfer remains the superior method for achieving successful pregnancies and high embryo survival in gilts.
- The semi-endoscopic technique requires further refinement to improve its efficiency in swine embryo transfer.
- Hormonal induction and embryo quality assessment are critical components of efficient swine reproductive programs.