title: Successful intercontinental transport of porcine embryos from Europe to South America.
abstract: A total of 393 porcine embryos was transported in two trials each lasting more than 30h from Hannover, Federal Republic of Germany to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The embryos were shipped in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) medium supplemented with 10% lamb serum and packaged in 0.25ml straws placed in a modified thermos bottle at 36.5 degrees C. Upon arrival, 359 embryos (90.8%) were evaluated as morphologically intact and were transferred to 19 recipients. Twelve recipients remained pregnant. Three recipients aborted and nine recipients (47.4%) farrowed a mean number of 5.6 +/- 2.6 (x +/- SD) piglets after 115.1 +/- 1.8 d of gestation. The average birthweight was 1.1 +/- 0.2 kg. The percentage of embryos resulting in live piglets was 28.6% in farrowing recipients. These births represented the first piglets from embryos that had been stored for more than 30h in vitro and shipped from Europe to South America.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Tierzucht und Tierverhalten (FAL), Mariensee 3057 Neustadt 1, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niemann
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wüst
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Gardon