Achievements and unmet promises of assisted reproduction technologies in large animals: a personal perspective

This paper gives an overview of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in livestock species coming from the author’s direct experience and contribution to the development of several of them. The assessment is conducted on the basis of the progress achieved since the early eighties and the impact on the clinical/practical use of such procedures. Artificial insemination (AI) is still the leading technology used on a large scale in livestock with most favourable cost benefit ratio. All the other ARTs have niche applications compared to AI. Significant progress has been achieved in embryo culture, somatic cell nuclear transfer and on the identification of the many unknown variables affecting the success rate, while in areas such as superovulation, oocyte maturation, IVF, embryonic stem cells and cryopreservation progress has been limited or absent. It is the opinion of the author that ARTs have reached a plateau whereby only minimal improvement of efficiency can be achieved. Significant advances can only come from major breakthrough in the understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms.

Achievements and unmet promises of assisted reproduction technologies in large animals: a personal perspective

This paper gives an overview of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in livestock species coming from the authors direct experience and contribution to the development of several of them. The assessment is conducted on the basis of the progress achieved since the early eighties and the impact on the clinical/practical use of such procedures. Artificial insemination (AI) is still the leading technology used on a large scale in livestock with most favourable cost benefit ratio. All the other ARTs have niche applications compared to AI. Significant progress has been achieved in embryo culture, somatic cell nuclear transfer and on the identification of the many unknown variables affecting the success rate, while in areas such as superovulation, oocyte maturation, IVF, embryonic stem cells and cryopreservation progress has been limited or absent. It is the opinion of the author that ARTs have reached a plateau whereby only minimal improvement of efficiency can be achieved. Significant advances can only come from major breakthrough in the understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms.(AU)

Pólipo fibroepitelial em um iguana (Iguana iguana Linnaeus, 1758)mantido em cativeiro domiciliar - relato de caso / Fibroepithelial polyp in a captive Green Iguana (Iguana iguana Linnaeus, 1758) - case report

O diagnóstico de neoplasias e subsequente tratamento bem sucedido vêm aumentando na clínicade répteis, em função de melhores condições de vida em cativeiro associadas a maiores conhecimentostécnicos em manejo e medicina. Um iguana (Iguana iguana Linnaeus, 1758) adulto do sexomasculino foi atendido em função da presença de uma proliferação tecidual cutânea na regiãorostral. Suspeitou-se do processo ter sido desencadeado por fricção da área afetada contra a paredede vidro do recinto, e a lesão foi removida cirurgicamente. O exame histopatológico possibilitou odiagnóstico de pólipo fibroepitelial, neoplasia de natureza benigna, e o paciente recuperou-se semintercorrências.(AU)

Diagnosis of neoplasia and subsequent successful treatment are increasing in reptile practice, due tobetter living conditions in captivity associated with greater expertise in management and medicine.There was examined a male adult iguana (Iguana iguana Linnaeus, 1758) presenting a cutaneous proliferationin the rostral area. The process was suspected to have been triggered by rubbing the affectedarea against the glass wall of the enclosure, and the lesion was surgically removed. Histopathologicalexamination allowed the diagnosis of a benign neoplasm, the fibroepithelial polyp, and the patientrecovered uneventfully.(AU)