Birth of rhesus monkey infant after in vitro fertilization and nonsurgical embryo transfer

Abstract

The birth of a rhesus monkey resulting from in vitro fertilization is reported. Oocytes recovered at laparoscopy from five gonadotropin-stimulated donors were inseminated in vitro with sperm preincubated with caffeine and dibutyryl cyclic AMP. After insemination, oocytes were cultured for 33-46 hr. Twenty-two embryos were transferred nonsurgically into 11 recipient females. One recipient showed signs of implantation but did not carry to term. A second female became pregnant after receiving one 4-cell and one 6-cell embryo fertilized in vitro. The subsequent course of early pregnancy and embryonic and fetal development were characteristic of normal singleton pregnancies. A healthy term male infant was delivered by Cesarean section 176 days after fertilization. This birth has validated our procedures for in vitro fertilization of rhesus monkey gametes and provides an experimental model for studies of early embryonic development in primates.