title: Hybridization between wapiti (Cervus elephus manitobensis) and sika deer (Cervus nippon): a comparison of two artificial insemination techniques.
abstract: The present study compared pregnancy rates of sika deer (Cervus nippon) hinds artificially inseminated with frozen-thawed wapiti (Cervus elephus manitobensis) semen by laparoscopic intrauterine or transvaginal/cervical artificial insemination (AI) techniques. Estrous cycles of 59 sika hinds were synchronized with one-half of a norgestomet ear implant. Fourteen days after implant insertion, norgestomet ear implants were removed and hinds received 50 IU of PG-600 intramuscularly, a combination of 50 IU PMSG and 25 IU hCG. Hinds were then randomly allotted for laparoscopic (n = 25) or transvaginal/cervical (n = 34) AI. AI of the hinds with frozen-thawed wapiti semen (40 x 10(6) spermatozoa) was time-fixed to occur at 55 hr for transvaginal/cervical AI and 65 hr for laparoscopic AI postnorgestomet implant removal. Semen deposition for hinds inseminated by transvaginal/cervical AI occurred as follows: vagina. 8.8% (3/34); os cervix, 67.6% (23/34); intracervical, 20.5% (7/34); and uterus, 2.9% (1/34). On day 42 post-AI, transrectal ultrasonography was performed to determine pregnancy rates. Pregnancy rates were not significantly different (P > 0.10) between laparoscopic (8/25, 32.0%) and transvaginal/cervical AI (9/34, 26.4%), with an overall conception rate of 28.8% (17/59). These results indicate that transvaginal/cervical AI techniques can be as effective as laparoscopic AI under some circumstances. Further refinement of the transvaginal/cervical AI technique to improve pregnancy rates might lead to more widespread use of this technique when laparoscopic AI is not possible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas A&M University, Overton 75684, USA.
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Willard
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Flores-Foxworth
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Drew
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Neuendorff
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Randel
mesh_terms: D000282:Administration, Intravaginal; D000818:Animals; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D003670:Deer / Q000502:physiology*; D004973:Estrus Synchronization; D005260:Female; D006064:Gonadotropins, Equine; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D011282:Pregnenediones; D045167:Progesterone Congeners; D011897:Random Allocation
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D006064:Gonadotropins, Equine; D011282:Pregnenediones; D045167:Progesterone Congeners; C100284:norgestomet