Abstract
The current, generally accepted approach to formulating health requirements for the international movement of embryos is to base them on the health status of the male and female donor animals. The alternative approach of basing them on the health status of the embryos themselves has been blocked by the lack of scientific information about the potential of the early embryo to transmit agents of infectious disease. Consequently, most research into infectious disease transmission by embryos has had the objective of assessing the potential of the embryo to transmit infectious disease, at the stage of development at which it is transferred commercially, with the thought in mind that, for some diseases, it may be possible in the future to focus on the embryo rather than the donor when drawing up health requirements for import permits. Results from experiments involving the bovine leukemia virus, bluetongue virus, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus, foot and mouth disease virus and Brucella abortus are encouraging to the point where, with the exception of foot and mouth disease virus, they could and should be put to the test in field studies. Research on several other bovine pathogens is underway, but the studies are not sufficiently advanced for a judgement to be made on the potential of embryos to transmit them. There is evidence that the research done is starting to have a positive effect through the relaxation of some health requirements for the international movement of embryos.
Keywords: Embryo, embryo transfer, disease transmission, infectious agent, pathogen, international movement, health requirements
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