Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-pfhbr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-08T09:25:12.788Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Establishing twin pregnancies in cattle by embryo transfer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

K. D. Sinclair ,
P. J. Broadbent ,
D. F. Dolman ,
R. G. Watt  and
J. S. Mullan
K. D. Sinclair
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, 581 King Street, Aberdeen AB9 1UD
P. J. Broadbent
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, 581 King Street, Aberdeen AB9 1UD
D. F. Dolman
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, 581 King Street, Aberdeen AB9 1UD
R. G. Watt
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, 581 King Street, Aberdeen AB9 1UD
J. S. Mullan
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, 581 King Street, Aberdeen AB9 1UD
Get access

Abstract

An experiment zoas conducted to assess differing methods of twin pregnancy establishment in Hereford × British Friesian beef cows and heifers. The experiment was 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design in which the factors were (i) source of embryos (in vivo or in vitro produced); (ii) pregnancy status of recipient (inseminated or non-inseminated); (Hi) method of embryo transfer (surgical or cervical); and (iv) uterine location of a native and transferred embryo, or two transferred embryos (both located in the ipsilateral, or one in each of the ipsi and contralateral uterine horns). Pregnancy and twinning rates for 285 animals used for embryo transfer were initially diagnosed at day 56 after induced oestrus by transrectal ultrasonography. Subsequently, calving rate and birth weiglit at calving were recorded.

Pregnancy rates at day 56 after induced oestrus were similar for both surgical and cervical transfers (58·6% v. 55·2%), as was the case for twinning rate (36·2% v. 30·0%). Similarly, there were no differences between these two methods of transfer (50·0% v. 46·9%) and (26·1% v. 17·7%) for calving and twin calving rates respectively. Recipients which had two embryos located in the ipsilateral uterine horn had higher (P < 0·001) pregnancy rates (66·6% v. 47·3%) but similar twinning rates (32·6% v. 33·4%) at day 56 after induced oestrus to recipients which had one embryo located in each horn. A greater (P < 0·05) percentage of recipients with two embryos originally located in the ipsilateral horn calved (56·0% v. 41·0%) but fewer (P > 0·05) produced twins (17·8% v. 25·7%) than was the case for recipients which originally had one embryo located in each horn. In vivo produced embryos resulted in higher (P < 0·001) pregnancy rates (74·4% v. 39·7%) and twinning rates (48·3% v. 18·0%) at day 56, and higher (P < 0·001) calving rates (64·5% v. 32·7%) and twin calving rates (36·3% v. 7·6%) than did in vitro produced embryos. Inseminated (Al + ET) recipients had slightly greater (P>0·05) pregnancy rates (61·6% v. 51·6%) and twinning rates (36·9% v. 28·7%) than non-pregnant recipients which received two embryos. A greater (P<0·05) percentage of inseminated recipients (Al + ET) calved (54·3% v. 42·0%) than was the case for non-pregnant recipients which received two embryos. The percentage producing twins at calving were similar for these two methods of twin pregnancy establishment.

Embryo survival to day 56 after induced oestrus averaged 45·0% and was found to be non-independent of its co-twin. From day 56 to parturition foetal loss averaged 21·0% and foetal survival was found to be independent of the fate of its co-foetus. Twin foetuses located in the same uterine horn were lighter at birth than twin foetuses located in separate uterine horns (33·0 v. 35·2 kg; P < 0·05).

Keywords

cattleembryo mortalityembryo transfertwinning
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 61 , Issue 1 , August 1995 , pp. 25 - 33
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Betteridge, K. J., Randall, G. C. B., Eaglesome, M. D. and Sugden, E. A. 1984. The influence of PGF2α secretion in cattle. 1. Concentrations of 15-keto-13, 14-dihydroprostaglandin F2α and progesterone in peripheral blood of recipients of transferred embryos. Animal Reproduction Science 7:195–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Del Campo, M. R., Rowe, R. F., French, L. R. and Ginther, O. J. 1977. Unilateral relationship of embryos and the corpus luteum in cattle. Biology of Reproduction 16:580–585.Google Scholar
Diskin, M. G., McDonagh, T. and Sreenan, J. M. 1987. The experimental induction of twin calvings in beef cows by embryo transfer. Theriogenology 27:224 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Echternkamp, S. E. 1992. Fetal development in cattle with multiple ovulations. Journal of Animal Science 70:2309–2321.Google Scholar
Eddy, R. G., Davies, O. and David, C. 1991. An economic assessment of twin births in British dairy herds. Veterinary Record 129:526–529.Google Scholar
Gordon, I. and Lu, K. H. 1990. Production of embryos in vitro and its impact on livestock production. Theriogenology 33:77–87.Google Scholar
Gordon, I., Lu, K. H., Gallagher, M. and McGovern, H. 1988. Production of cattle embryos by in vitro and in vivo culture. Animal Production 46:498 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Gordon, I., Williams, G. L. and Edwards, J. 1962. The use of PMS in the induction of twin pregnancy in the cow. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 59:143–198.Google Scholar
Hanrahan, J. P. 1983. The inter-ovarian distribution of twin ovulations and embryo survival in the bovine. Theriogenology 20:3–11.Google Scholar
Hasler, J. F., McCauley, A. D., Lathrop, W. F. and Foote, R. H. 1987. Effect of donor-embryo-recipient interactions on pregnancy rate in a large-scale bovine embry o transfer program. Theriogenology 27:139–168.Google Scholar
Helmer, S. D., Hansen, P. J., Thatcher, W. W., Johnson, J. W. and Bazer, F. W. 1989. Intrauterine infusion of highly enriched bovine trophoblast protein 1-complex exerts an antiluteolytic effect to extend corpus luteum lifespan in cyclic cattle, journal of Reproduction and Fertility 87:89–101.Google Scholar
Johnson, L. A., Cran, D. G. and Polge, C. 1994. Recent advances in sex preselection of cattle: flow cytometric sorting of X-chromosome and Y-chromosome bearin g sperm based on DNA to produce progeny. Theriogenology 41:51–56.Google Scholar
Kastelic, J. P., Northey, D. L. and Ginther, O. J. 1991. Spontaneous embryonic death on days 20 to 40 in heifers. Theriogenology 35:351–363.Google Scholar
Lawes Agricultural Trust. 1990. Genstat 5 version 2.2 reference manual. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Lindner, G. M. and Wright, R. W. 1983. Bovine embryo morphology and evaluation. Theriogenology 20:407–416.Google Scholar
Lowman, B. G., Scott, N. A. and Somerville, S. H. 1976. Condition scoring of cattle. Rev. ed. Bulletin, East of Scotland College of Agriculture, no. 6.Google Scholar
Lu, K. H., Gordon, I., Gallagher, M. and McGovern, H. 1987. Pregnancy established in cattle by transfer of embryos derived from in vitro fertilization of oocytes matured in vitro. Veterinary Record 121:259–260.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McMillan, W. H. 1994. Bovine embryo survival followin g twin transfers: an all-or-none phenomenon? New Zealand Embryo Transfer Workshop, pp. 38–39.Google Scholar
McMillan, W. H., Hall, D. R. H., Evans, P. H. and Day, A. M. 1993. Twinning in beef cows: preliminary results from embryo transfer studies. Proceedings of the Neiv Zealand Society of Animal Production 53:263–266.Google Scholar
Morris, D. G., McDermott, M. G., Diskin, M. G., Morrison, C. A., Swift, P. J. and Sreenan, J. M. 1993. Effect of immunisation against synthetic peptide sequences of bovine inhibin alpha-subunit on ovulation rate and twin calving rate in heifers. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 97:255–261.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Newcomb, R., Christie, W. B. and Rowson, L. E. A. 1980. Fetal survival rate after the surgical transfer of two bovine embryos. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 59:31–36.Google Scholar
Polge, C., Broadbent, P. J. and Lu, K. H. 1991. Pregnancy rates following transfer of fresh or frozen bovine embryos produced in vitro. Proceedings of the international symposium on animal biotechnology, Kyoto, Japan, p. 5.Google Scholar
Rowson, L. E. A., Lawson, R. A. S. and Moor, R. M. 1971. Production of twins in cattle by egg transfer. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 25:261–268.Google Scholar
Sinclair, K. D., Broadbent, P. J. and Hutchinson, J. S. M. 1994. The effect of pre- and post-partum energy and protein supply on the blood metabolites and reproductive performance of single- and twin-suckling beef cows. Animal Production 59:391–400.Google Scholar
Sinclair, K. D., Broadbent, P. J. and Dolman, D. F. 1995. In vitro produced embryos as a means of achieving pregnancy and improving productivity in beef cows. Animal Science 60:55–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sreenan, J. M., Beehan, D. and Mulvehill, P. 1975. Egg transfer in the cow: factors affecting pregnancy and twinning rates following bilateral transfers. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 44:77–85.Google Scholar
Sreenan, J. M. and Diskin, M. G. 1986. The extent and timing of embryonic mortality in the cow. In Embryonic mortality in farm animals (ed. Sreenan, J. M. and Diskin, M. G.), pp. 1–11. Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sreenan, J. M. and Diskin, M. G. 1987. Factors affecting pregnancy rate following embryonic transfer in the cow. Theriogenology 27:99–113.Google Scholar
Sreenan, J. M. and Diskin, M. G. 1989. Effect of unilateral or bilateral twin embryo distribution on twinning and embryo survival rate in the cow. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 87:657–664.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Suzuki, T., Sakai, Y., Ishida, T., Matsuda, S., Miura, H. and Itoh, K. 1989. Induction of twinning in crossbred heifers by ispilateral frozen embryo transfer. Theriogenology 31:917–926.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suzuki, O., Geshi, M., Yonai, M. and Sakaguchi, M. 1994. Effects of method of embryo production and transfer on pregnancy rate, embryo survival rate, abortion and calf production in beef cows. Theriogenology 41:309 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Van Vleck, L. D. and Gregory, K. E. 1994. Selection for twinning in cattle. Proceedings of the fifth world congress on genetics applied to livestock production, vol. 19, pp.28–31.Google Scholar
Webster, A. J. F. 1989. Bioenergetics, bioengineering and growth. Animal Production 48:249–269.Google Scholar