EMBRYO-TRANSFER AND DISEASE TRANSMISSION IN LIVESTOCK - A REVIEW OF RECENT RESEARCH

The possibility that infectious diseases could be transmitted between animals, farms or countries when embryos are transferred is a justifiable concern, and, because of the risks, regulatory authorities are obliged to apply a variety of necessary constraints that may seem frustrating and expensive for embryo transfer practitioners. The International Embryo Transfer Society (IETS), through its Import/Export Committee, has worked strenuously for over a decade to reduce the need for expensive testing of donors, and to help formulate safe, practical protocols for embryo movements, based on embryo handling, that are now found in the Office International des Epizootics (OIE), International Animal Health Code and the IETS Manual. The purpose of this paper is to provide an up-date on knowledge of embryo/pathogen interactions, and to discuss the potential risks of disease transmission through transfer of in vivo-produced embryos and how these risks may be avoided. Quantitative risk assessment is now used increasingly by regulatory authorities in the development of international embryo certification requirements, and embryo transfer practitioners have an important role to play in this expanding science.