Sperm sexing and its application in camel reproduction - a review

Sexed semen is the latest revolutionary breakthrough in animal reproduction industry. It is applied to produce offspring of desired sex from selected genetically superior mating parents. Commercialization of sexed sperm has gained more demand in recent years and is under implementation in some countries. Many techniques to separate the X and Y sperm based on different principles were attempted to be developed and applied, but most of them lacked any scientific validation and proved ineffective. Flow-cytometric sorting of semen is the most recent development of sperm sexing with effective and promising results. Sexing of semen was founded on the principle of variation in DNA content between X and Y spermatozoa, with X spermatozoa carrying more DNA than Y spermatozoa. However, this technology is hindered by several factors like high costs, skilled and experienced manpower requirement and varying pregnancy rates as compared with traditional semen, along with more factors. Progress to improve this technique and nullify the limitations are in process. This review is intended to put light on why should sperm sexing be implemented in camel reproduction, possibility of commercial applications, economic impact in all aspects and process of variations among different species.