Chapter 13 Introduction and History of Artificial Insemination

    13-1 Introduction

    A. Purpose of artificial insemination(AI)

    a. Generous supply of sperm available from a male evaluated to be outstanding in genetic merit:

    In bulls:

    Breeding units available from a bull per year ≒ 40,000
    Breeding units available from a tested bull ≒ 300,000

    Semen volume/ejacualte: 6 ml
    Sperm concentration: 1.2 billion/ml (motility: 70%) |From TABLE 12-3
    Totalsperm/ejacualte: 6x1.2billion ≒ 7.2 billion
    Sperm motility of diluted, frozen and thawed semen: 40
    Total postthaw motile sperm/ejacualte: 0.40x7.2 billio = 2.88 billion
    Postthaw motile sperm required/insemination: 10 million
    Breeding units/bull/day: 2.88 billion/10 million = 288 units
    Intervals of semen collection: 3 days (95x) and 2 days (40x)
    Semen collections/year: 95 + 40 = 135 times
    Breeding units/bull/year: 135 times x 288 units = 38,880 ≒ 40,000
    Reproductive life after progeny test: From 4 to 10 years old = 7 yrs.
    Breeding units available from a tested bull: 40,000x7 ≒ 300,000


    b. Improvement in reproductive efficiency

    Reproductive efficiency of AI: 1) Similar to that of natural breeding in good management practices,                                2) Improved from control of venereal diseases as vibriosis

    B. AI uses in farm animals

      a. Cattle and chicken: commercially (Most AI in chicken: without freezing)
      b. Swine: Commercially but not extensively
      c. Other animals: Not commercially due to no perfect freezing techniques and other reasons

    13-2 History

    A. Some landmarks in AI history.

      a. 1300: Arabian horse breeders: the first AI reported, with horse, but not documented
      b. 1780: SPALLANZANI (Italian physiologist): the first AI documented,with amphibians and dogs: 3 pups from a bitch with semen at body temperature; Later separated fertilzing component from seminal fluid.       c. 1803: Spallanzani: sperm cooled with snow: not killed but motionless → after exposure to heat: motile for several hours
      d. 1884-1887: Milais: 15 bitches pregnant after AI
      e. 1897: Heape in England:

      1) Conception rate by AI: good as natural breeding
      2) Several bitches iseminated with 1 ejaculate
      3) AI as a tool to study genetic factors

      f. 1900: IVANOFF in Russia:

      1) Started AI work with horse
      2) A physiological section in Ministry of Agriculture to study fertility and to train AI techniques
      3) Successful AI with cattle and sheep in 1930

      g. 1913: 石川 in Japan: AI work with horse following research with Ivanoff
      h. 1936: Danish breeders: the first cooperative AI association in the world aided by Denmark state support
      i. 1937: 이용빈: 石川에서 인공수정 기술 연수
      j. 1938: Perry in U.S.A.:

      1) The first American AI cooperative after his visiting Denmark AI association
      2) Edited the first AI textbook " The Artifical Insemination of Farm Animals" in 1945

      k. 1954-1956: 이용빈: 미국에서 동결정액 연구, 인공수정 기술 도입
      l. 1955: 중앙축산기술원: 돼지 10 두 인공수정에서 8두 수태
      m. 1962: 김선환: 농협 가축인공수정소 →현 축협 가축개량사업소

    B. Some important discoveries in AI techniques

      a. Semen collection:

      1) Artificial vagina (AV) for dog: by Amantea in 1914: See FIGURE 13-1
      2) AV for stallion, bull and ram: by Russian scientists
      3) Electroejaculator for bull, ram and buck: by Laplaud and Cassou in 1948 and Thibault in 1948
      b. Semen dilution (for preservation and extension):

      1) Yolk-phosphate diluter → semen preservation at 5 ℃ for 3-4 days: by Phillips and Lardy in 1940
      2) Yolk-citrate diluter → sperm visibility under microscope

      c. Control of venereal diseases (as vibriosis):
      Control bacterial contaminants in semen by penicilline and streptomycin→↑conception rate: by Almquist et al.in 1946 and 1949

      d. Inseminating technique:
      Vaginal insemination→ cervical insemination using speculum→ rectovaginal insemination by Danish veterinarians in 1937: improved fertility (by 10% compared with cervical insemination using speculum)

      e. Frozen semen:

      1) Glycerol addition in semen diluter: protected fowl and human sperm from freeze kill and sperm motility revived following preservation at -70℃ using dry ice for long time: by Polge, Smith and Parkes in 1949
      2) Bull semen frozen with glycerol: by Polge and Rowson in 1952
      3) Use of frozen bull semen exclusively: by Waterloo Cattle Breeders, Canada in 1954
      4) Frozen semen using liquid nitrogen (-196℃): by American Breeders Scervice in 1957

      f. Sire selection:
      The first SIRE SUMMARIES published: a nation-wide uniform comparison of sires from progeny test → greatly inc. selection intensity and contribution of AI to genetic improvemet of dairy cattle: by Dairy Records Processing Center of USDA in 1961

      g. Semen packaging:
      Switched from ampoules to plastic straws: first introduced by Sorensen in 1940, frozen semen in straws by Pares in 1953 and development of straw to practical application by Cassous in 1964 (1.2 ml) → (0.5 ml: medium straw) → (0.25 ml: ministraw) in 1968

    13-3 Advantages and disadvantages

    A. Advantages

      a. Genetic gain↑: See Purpose of AI in 13-1-A-a
      b. Disease control: Vibriosis, trichomonasis, campylobacteriosis and brucellosis
      c. Improved record keeping
      d. Flexibility↑:

      1) Use beef bulls on low yielding or maiden heifers of dubious potential
      2) Use bulls with certain characteristics which complement those of the particular cow (as milk yield, milk fat%, or udder comformation etc)

      e. Cost effctiveness: Superior bull: expensive, and is cost efffective due to increased genetic gain

      f. Safety↑: by elimination of dangerous bulls on farm, especially for dairy breeds

    B. Disadvantages

      a. Much time is required in checking females for estrus
      b. Some special facilities for corraling and inseminating
      c. Trained personnel