COLLECTION, IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION AND CULTURE OF BOVINE OOCYTES INTRAVAGINALLY OR IN A CONVENTIONAL INCUBATOR

The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of intravaginal culture for in vitro fertilisation and production of bovine embryos, Oocytes were collected from five cows, superovulated with ovine follicle stimulatory hormone (oFSH), by using a 7.5 MHz rectal linear array ultrasound transducer. From 124 follicles punctured, the oocyte recovery rate was 48 per cent, Fifty-one oocytes were placed in capsules either in the vagina or in an incubator, and cocultured with sperm for 24 hours followed by coculture with oviductal cells for 48 hours, There was no significant difference between the fertilisation rates or the cleavage rates achieved by the two systems and the mean fertilisation rate was 44 per cent, However, the fertilised oocytes did not develop beyond the eight-cell stage.