Effect of season and frequency of embryo collections on superovulatory response and embryo recovery in Santa Inês hair sheep

Antral follicle count (AFC) performed after an oestrus synchronization protocol has been studied as a tool to select ewes with high potential for invivo embryo production (Pinto et al. 2018 Theriogenology 113, 146-152). However, it would be interesting to know whether AFC assessed on a random day of the oestrous cycle correlates with the superovulatory response. The present study was conducted to evaluate the correlation between AFC at the beginning of progesterone (P4)-based oestrus synchronization protocol used as basis of superovulatory treatment and the number of corpora lutea (CL) 12h before recovery of embryos in Santa Inês ewes. The study was conducted during September and October in northeast Brazil (03°40′26″S and 40°14′20″W) using 8 adult Santa Inês ewes. On a random day of oestrous cycle (Day 0) all ewes received an intravaginal device (CIDR) of progesterone (0.3g, Eazi-breed, Zoetis), which remained for 9 days. On Day 7, the pFSH (133mg, Folltropin V, Vetoquinol) treatment began, with 6 decreasing doses (25, 25, 15, 15, 10, and 10%) injected IM at 12-h intervals. On Day 9, 2 equal doses of D-cloprostenol were injected at a 12-h interval (37.5µg, Prolise, Agener União). All ewes showed oestrus and were mated by fertile rams. Flunixin meglumine (24.9 mg; Banamine, MSD Animal Health) was administered IM on Days 12, 13, and 15. On Day 16, non-surgical embryo recovery (NSER) was performed after cervical dilation using D-cloprostenol and oestradiol benzoate at 16h and oxytocin 20min before. Transrectal B-mode ultrasound evaluations (Z5 Vet, Mindray), frequency 7.5MHz, were performed on Day 0 and 7 and 12h before NSER to evaluate the ovarian population present. Pearson correlation analysis (P<0.05) was performed using Bioestat 5.3 software. The number of AFC per ewe at the beginning of the protocol and on Day 7 were 9.9±2.7 and 11±3.2, respectively. The numbers of CL, recovered embryos, and viable embryos were 14.0±3.5, 8.2±10.9, and 6.0±11.0, respectively. There was no correlation of AFC on a random day of oestrous cycle with the number of AFC on Day 7 (P=0.42), number of corpora lutea (P=0.44), number of recovered embryos (P=0.18), or number of viable embryos (P=0.11) in superovulated ewes. In conclusion, we did not find significant correlations between AFC on a random day of oestrous cycle and the superovulatory/embryos response in Santa Inês ewes. Financial support for this study was provided by Embrapa (02.13.06.026.00.02 and 02.13.06.026.00.04) and FAPEMIG (PPM 00201-17).

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Embryo recovery rate in Santa Inês ewes subjected to successive superovulatory treatments with pFSH

Small Ruminant Research ◽

10.1016/s0921-4488(03)00059-2 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 19-23 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

M.F. Cordeiro ◽

J.B. Lima-Verde ◽

E.S. Lopes-Júnior ◽

D.I.A. Teixeira ◽

L.N. Farias ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Recovery Rate ◽

Embryo Recovery ◽

Santa Inês

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225 Evaluation of superovulatory response in Brazilian native sheep by B-mode ultrasonography

Reproduction Fertility and Development ◽

10.1071/rdv32n2ab225 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 240

Author(s):

G. B. Vergani ◽

M. S. D. Lima ◽

K. M. Silva ◽

A. W. U. Monteiro ◽

A. F. Ramos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Recovery Rate ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Animal Health ◽

Device Removal ◽

Embryo Recovery ◽

Flunixin Meglumine ◽

Ultrasound Evaluation ◽

Release Device ◽

Linear Probe ◽

Santa Inês

The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the number of corpora lutea (CL), as determined by B-mode ultrasonography, and the total number of structures recovery by non-surgical embryo recovery (NSER) from superovulated ewes. Somali (n=18), Santa Inês (n=18), and Morada Nova (n=16) ewes received an intravaginal device with progesterone (0.33g, controlled internal drug release device, CIDR, Zoetis), which was maintained for 9 days. The superovulatory protocol started 60h before device removal, with 6 decreasing doses (25, 25, 15, 15, 10, and 10%) of p-FSH (IM 133mg, Folltropin V, Vetoquinol) injected every 12h. D-Cloprostenol (IM 37.5μg, Prolise, Agener Union) was injected 12h before and at the moment of device removal. Ewes in oestrus were mated by fertile male rams three times after the onset of oestrus with a 12-h interval. Flunixin meglumine (24.9 mg; Banamine, MSD Animal Health) was injected IM on Days 12, 13, and 15. One day before NSER, B-mode ultrasound evaluations were performed using portable equipment (Z5 Vet, Mindray) with a stiffened multifrequency linear probe to evaluate the number of structures present in the ovaries. Embryo recovery was performed 7 days after progesterone CIDR removal (Day 16). The number of CL and the number of recovered structures were determined and their association evaluated using the Pearson correlation test (P<0.05). Only 17 Somali, 16 Santa Inês, and 15 Morada Nova ewes were submitted to NSER; the other 4 ewes could not be flushed because of low cervical dilation or cervical puncture. After B-mode ultrasound evaluation, 168, 217, and 131 CL were observed, with an average of 9.9 (range: 1 to 12), 13.5 (range: 2 to 47), and 8.7 (range: 3 to 18) CL per donor for Somali, Santa Inês, and Morada Nova ewes, respectively. The recovery rates (i.e. structures recovered by the number of CL counted) were 60.1% (101/168), 96.3% (209/217), and 103.5% (135/131) for the 3 breeds, respectively. There was a positive correlation (r=0.69; P<0.01) between the number of recovered structures and number of CL. Those findings confirm results from other studies, in which the recovery rate varied from 35 to 91%. In some cases, recovery rate can be overestimated because of the difficulty in quantifying CL. In conclusion, B-mode ultrasonography can be used to estimate superovulatory response in ewes and thus as a criterion to decide whether a donor will undergo embryo flushing. Financial support for this study was provided by Embrapa (02.13.06.026.00.04) and Fapemig (CVZ-PPM 00201-17).

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Reproductive and productive characteristics of hair sheep raised in the tropical region grassland of Brazil

Research Society and Development ◽

10.33448/rsd-v9i9.7287 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. e331997287

Author(s):

Jardeson de Souza Pinheiro ◽

Paloma Eleutério ◽

Samuel Pinho Silva ◽

Caio Júlio Lima Herbster ◽

Judite Antunes Cipriano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Coat Color ◽

Tropical Climate ◽

Ovis Aries ◽

Genetic Group ◽

Reproductive Efficiency ◽

Tropical Region ◽

Hair Sheep ◽

Tropical Conditions ◽

Santa Inês

We aimed to characterize the energetic profile of hair sheep (Ovis aries) raised on pasture in a tropical climate country and verify it is influence on productive and reproductive parameters. A total of 68 non-pregnant adult ewes were randomly distributed into four genetic groups (GGs) according to coat color (Red-coated Santa Inês GG – 17, Black-coated Santa Inês GG – 13, White-coated Morada Nova GG – 28 and Red-coated Morada Nova GG – 10). We collected blood samples at the beginning and at the end of the breeding season. The reproductive efficiency of the ewes was evaluated by fertility, prolificacy, lamb survival rate, and lamb body weight at birth and weaning. We performed statistical analyses using the package PROC GLM and the chi-square (χ2) test from SAS software. The genetic group influenced serum glucose and β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations, prolificacy, and lamb body weight. Male lambs were heavier than female lambs at birth and weaning. Twin lambs were lighter at birth and at weaning than were single lambs. The genetic group, lamb birth rank, and sex influenced the lamb body weight at birth and weaning. This study presents important information on the reproductive efficiency of these hair sheep that are relevant to tropical climate countries. The blood parameters found in this research show that there are important metabolic differences between hair sheep in the semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil. Morada Nova sheep with independent white coat color, higher reproductive performance in tropical conditions.

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Energy and protein requirements of Santa Ines lambs, a breed of hair sheep

animal ◽

10.1017/s1751731117001185 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 2165-2174 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

E.S. Pereira ◽

F.W.R. Lima ◽

M.I. Marcondes ◽

J.P.P. Rodrigues ◽

A.C.N. Campos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hair Sheep ◽

Protein Requirements ◽

Santa Inês

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How to better conserve with genetic data: origin and population structure of Brazilian locally adapted hair sheep (Ovis aries) breeds

10.1101/815217 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Tiago do Prado Paim ◽

Samuel Rezende Paiva ◽

Natália Martins de Toledo ◽

Michel Beleza Yamaghishi ◽

Paulo Luiz Souza Carneiro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Genetic Resources ◽

Strong Relationship ◽

Ovis Aries ◽

East African ◽

Hair Sheep ◽

Sheep Breeds ◽

Fat Tail ◽

Santa Inês

AbstractBrazilian hair sheep constitute a genetic diversity hotspot of sheep breeds. These locally adapted genetic resources developed in harsh environments of the Brazilian Northwest (semi-arid) and maintained important traits for this region, such as parasite resistance, heat tolerance and high pelt quality. Genotypes (50K SNP chip) from seven Brazilian sheep breeds (5 hair and 2 coarse wool types) and 87 worldwide breeds were used to verify population structure, admixture and genetic diversity, using PCA and ADMIXTURE analyses. We constructed a phylogenetic tree and evaluated migration events between genetic groups using TREEMIX software. Brazilian Somali, a fat-tailed breed, was the unique breed with high relationship with East African breeds and formed a distinct cluster from other Brazilian breeds. This breed seems to contribute to formation of Santa Inês, Morada Nova and Brazilian Fat-tail breeds. Brazilian Blackbelly had a clear relationship with Barbados Blackbelly, which appeared as another group. Other Brazilian breeds seem to form a further genetic group with some recent admixtures. Morada Nova remained as a separate group, not showing a strong relationship with European or African breeds, only revealing a migration event from Sidaoun, an Algerian hair breed. Brazilian Fat-tail and Morada Nova share a common ancestor, but the first received introgressions from Brazilian Somali and Afrikaner breeds, explaining the fat-tail phenotype. Santa Inês received strong contribution from Bergamasca and had an admixed origin with recent introgressions from other breeds, mainly from Suffolk animals. In conclusion, Brazilian Somali and Brazilian Fat-tail are the most endangered sheep genetic resources in Brazil.

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