Improving the efficiency of sperm technologies in pigs: the value of deep intrauterine insemination.
The use of AI in pigs has dramatically expanded in the last few years. New methodological advances in AI are required to serve the requirements of new sperm technologies, such as the use of low dose AI, because the use of cervical AI has a very low efficiency leading to low fertility results. One of the strategies devised to meet these requirements is the deposition of semen near the site of fertilization in the oviduct. Using deep intrauterine insemination with a specially designed catheter, a 20-fold reduction in the number of freshly and diluted inseminated spermatozoa can be achieved without decreasing farrowing rates. Moreover, an advantage of deep intrauterine insemination is the possibility of using processed, 'weaker' spermatozoa such as those that have been frozen-thawed or sex-sorted. Although deep intrauterine insemination should be of benefit to the pig industry, more investigations are needed to understand the mechanisms related to sperm colonization of the oviducts and identify the minimal sperm numbers needed to obtain maximal fertility results for processed and unprocessed boar spermatozoa.
Vazquez
Juan Maria
JM
Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia 30071, Spain. vazquez@um.es
Martinez
Emilio Arsenio
EA
Roca
Jordi
J
Gil
Maria Antonia
MA
Parrilla
Inmaculada
I
Cuello
Cristina
C
Carvajal
Gema
G
Lucas
Xiomara
X
Vazquez
Jose Luis
JL
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D005306:Fertilization; D015907:Hysteroscopy / Q000662:veterinary; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D008098:Litter Size; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D013076:Sperm Count; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*; D013552:Swine; D014599:Uterus / Q000033:anatomy & histology