title: Evaluation of foal production following intracytoplasmic sperm injection and blastocyst culture of oocytes from ovaries collected immediately before euthanasia or after death of mares under field conditions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficiency of foal production following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and blastocyst culture of oocytes from mares that died or were euthanized under field conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  16 mares (age, 3 to 19 years) that died or were euthanized for various causes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ovaries were collected immediately before euthanasia (n = 10) or after death (6). Ovaries were transported to the laboratory for oocyte recovery (15 mares), or oocytes were recovered at a remote location and shipped to the laboratory (1). Oocytes underwent ICSI, and presumptive zygotes were cultured for 7 to 10 days. Blastocysts were shipped to embryo transfer facilities for transcervical transfer to recipient mares.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ovaries were processed 30 minutes to 12 hours (mean ± SD, 4.6 ± 3.3 hours) after mares' deaths. A mean of 14.1 ± 8.6 oocytes/mare were cultured, and 110 of 225 (49%) matured. Twenty-one blastocysts developed after ICSI and were transferred to recipient mares. Thirteen pregnancies were established; 10 healthy foals were produced from 6 donor mares. The number of blastocysts produced per mare and number of live foals produced per mare were significantly correlated with the number of oocytes recovered.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Foals were produced from mares after death or euthanasia under field conditions. Proportions of foals born overall (10 foals/16 mares) and mares from which ≥ 1 foal was produced (6/16) were greater than those reported following recovery and oviductal transfer of oocytes to inseminated recipients after death of donor mares under field conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA. khinrichs@cvm.tamu.edu
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hinrichs
authors.forename: Young-Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jody D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Norris
authors.forename: Linda B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Love
authors.forename: Sylvia J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Bedford-Guaus
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Hartman
authors.forename: Isabel C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Velez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000502:physiology*; D046149:Embryo Culture Techniques / Q000662:veterinary*; D037901:Euthanasia, Animal; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses / Q000502:physiology*; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D010053:Ovary / Q000502:physiology*; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / Q000662:veterinary*