Surgical Description of Laparoscopic Ovum Pick-Up in Buffalo Calves

Abstract

The technique of laparoscopic oocyte aspiration has been increasingly used in animals; however, there are few records of its use in buffaloes. To describe this technique, six suckling Murrah buffaloes aged between 3 and 5 months were used. Three laparoscopic ovum pick-ups were performed in each animal, with intervals of 15 days between surgeries, completing a total of 18 procedures. The technique used three surgical ports with optics and a high-definition video camera. The introduction of the first portal and insufflation of the abdomen was performed through the open technique, with aspiration using a 20 G needle transabdominally and a vacuum pump calibrated at 50 mmHg. The mean complete surgical time from anesthesia to the removal of the animal from the litter was 49 ± 9.8 min. There were 27.8% cases of insufflation on the wrong side of the omentum. The oocyte recovery rate of 60.3% remained within the normal range. However, the rate of viable oocytes recovered was low, with only 40.8% of those recovered undergoing in vitro embryo production (IVEP). These data demonstrate that this simple, minimally invasive technique is an excellent reproductive tool for the genetic improvement of buffalo species.

Evolución de la aspiración folicular para producción in vitro de embriones en rumiantes

“…La repetición de la LOPU en la misma donadora no causa secuelas con impacto en la vida reproductiva de la hembra, incluso cuando se realiza en animales prepúberes o silvestres. Otra ventaja de la LOPU es que se puede realizar en pequeños rumiantes aun cuando se encuentren fuera de temporada reproductiva, además de poder aplicarla en animales prepúberes, incluidos los bovinos y los búfalos (Jorge-Neto et al, 2018;Currin et al, 2021;Sousa et al, 2022). En pequeños rumiantes, la LOPU asociada con la PIV y la TE es la forma más eficiente de producir una mayor cantidad de crías a partir de hembras de genética y productividad sobresaliente.…”