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Foal born through IVF
carol with lord nelson
Owner Carol with Lord Nelson, who she likes to call PICSI (pronounced 'Pixie').

UC Davis celebrates success with ICSI
 
A foal has been born through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) at UC Davis vet school in the US. This represents a first for equine medicine at the university.

Equine reproduction specialists used the process of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Unlike traditional IVF (which often doesn't work on horses), this involves injecting a single sperm into an egg extracted from a mare.

Once the embryo has developed in a laboratory for a week, it is implanted in the mare.

Initially, specialists attempted to artificially inseminate Zholani - a thoroughbred-shire mix - using frozen sperm from an Andalusian horse called El Gavilan.

After a few unsuccessful attempts, Dr Bruce Christensen of UC Davis suggested enrolling the mare in his ICSI research study.

Six of Zholani's eggs and El Gavilan's sperm were sent to the Equine Embryo Laboratory at Texas A&M University.

Due to Zholani's previous inability to get pregnant, the team decided to use a recipient mare to carry the pregnancy.

The foal, named 'Lord Nelson' was born at UC Davis' Center for Equine Health. Once he matures, he will begin training for a career in dressage. His owner Carol Alonso is excited about his prospects, based on his carefully selected lineage.

Image courtesy of UC Davis

 

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.