The use of ultrasound-guided bovine oocyte aspiration and IVF (in vitro fertilization) procedures does provide an alternative solution for cattle breeders who have cows with genetic value but are unable to produce viable embryos through standard embryo collection procedures for some reason. This technology can be used to collect oocytes from cows that are ovulating or not ovulating in old age, cows with physical injuries (such as leg fractures), and cows with cervical abnormalities.

With the help of IVF, if each cow can repeat this method 3 to 4 times or more per month, more embryos can be produced in a shorter amount of time. The method of guiding egg retrieval using a live cow egg collector can also be used for prepubertal animals, pregnant animals, and foreign animals used for embryo production. Assisted reproductive technology will enable producers to continuously achieve genetic progress in livestock. A successful case is artificial insemination (AI), which has greatly changed the dairy industry by using frozen semen for AI to improve genetic selection in milk production and improved herd management.

Imported live egg retrieval device

Early attempts to extract oocytes from potential donor cows included surgical and minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures, but there were limitations on how many surgeries could be safely performed without causing harm to the donor animal. At this stage, there is basically no safe and reproducible method to collect oocytes from live farm animals. Fresh oocytes can be extracted from a single follicle and undergo in vitro maturation and fertilization, followed by in vitro culture procedures. These efforts have paved the way for the development of new reproductive technologies for obtaining oocytes from live cattle. Then the efficiency of harvesting oocytes from mature beef and dairy cattle, as well as young cycle heifers, was evaluated using this method.

In order to obtain oocytes for IVF, trained professionals insert ultrasound-guided stainless steel needles into the vaginal wall near the cervix to extract oocytes from follicles detected by ultrasound examination. Aspiration surgery is usually performed on small, medium, and large follicles on the ovaries of donor women. Currently, transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte aspiration (TUGA), also known as oocyte retrieval (OPU) in human medicine, is being further evaluated on cows, mares, and goats*** Recently, TUGA is being developed for pigs, domesticated sheep, and foreign hoofed animals.

The cow. In cattle, the donor female is confined to a suitable holding groove and subjected to epidural blockade. Use a dedicated OPU live egg retrieval probe for ultrasound guided egg retrieval. The bovine follicle is identified as a black (hypoechoic) circular shape on the monitor screen. Insert an 18 gauge, 550 or 600 millimeter long needle through the needle guide in the plastic handle. The needle is connected to a suction pump through a polyethylene tube, passes through an embryo filter or enters a 50ml conical test tube, and is used to collect follicular fluid containing oocytes. The flushing medium used for this process is phosphate buffered saline (PBS), which contains 10% bovine serum, antibiotics, and heparin. Using this suction method, 60% to 70% of medium to large follicles are punctured, resulting in oocyte recovery, with an average of 3 to 10 oocytes per unstimulated donor female.

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