BIRTH OF A WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLA (GORILLA-GORILLA-GORILLA) FOLLOWING IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION AND EMBRYO-TRANSFER

A 21-year-old multiparous female exhibiting 31-41 day menstrual cycles was given hFSH (225 IU/day, Metrodin 75, from cycle day 3 through 9 ( menses = day 1) and hCG (10,000 IU, Profasi, on day 10 to stimulate fo llicular development. At 35 h after hCG, under isoflurane (AErrane) an esthesia, follicles were aspirated by controlled suction under transva ginal ultrasound guidance. Metaphase II oocytes (n = 11) were placed i n modified human tubal fluid (mHTF, 100 mu l) medium under oil at 37 d egrees C in humidified 5% CO2. Frozen semen, collected by voluntary ej aculation, was thawed (70 degrees C H2O bath, 6 sec), diluted slowly, centrifuged, and resuspended in mHTF, and 160,000 motile spermatozoa/m l were added at 6 h after oocyte recovery. At 21 h postinsemination (p .i.) eight oocytes were at the two-cell stage, five were cryopreserved , and three were cultured to the six- to eight-cell stage in mHTF with granulosa cells before transcervical uterine transfer at 47 h p.i. us ing a Teflon catheter. Micronized progesterone (400 mg/d) was orally a dministered for 10 weeks posttransfer (p.t.). Ultrasound examination r evealed a single fetus at 15 weeks p.t., and unassisted delivery of a live 1.37 kg female infant occurred at 29 weeks. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.