A. Bielanski et al., THE EFFICACY OF TRYPSIN FOR DISINFECTION OF IN-VITRO FERTILIZED BOVINE EMBRYOS EXPOSED TO BOVINE HERPESVIRUS-1, Animal reproduction science, 47(1-2), 1997, pp. 1-8
Bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) or in vitro fertilized (IVF) emb
ryos were exposed to bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) during in vitro matu
ration or co-culture with uterine tubal cells, respectively. Trypsin,
at a concentration of 0.25%, was applied (for approximately 90 s) to d
isinfect either COC or cumulus-free oocytes (CFO) 18 h after inseminat
ion, or on day 7 to embryos resulting from infected oocytes. In total,
virus was not detected in 71% of 93 samples containing 233 embryos ex
posed to BHV-1 and trypsin treatment. BHV-1 was detected in 14% and 54
% of samples containing a single embryo and five embryos, respectively
. In corresponding groups of embryos exposed to BHV-1, then washed but
not treated with trypsin (70 samples), 85% and 96% of samples contain
ing one embryo and pooled embryos, respectively, were positive for the
virus. There was no effect of trypsin treatment on the development of
IVF-embryos. It is concluded that IVF-generated embryos have a greate
r tendency to carry BHV-1 after experimental exposure to the virus tha
n IVF uterine stage embryos, and that they are more difficult to disin
fect by means of the standard trypsin treatment use. (C) 1997 Elsevier
Science B.V.