STUDY OF BULL SPERM CHARACTERISTICS IN EXTENDER WITH DIFFERENT ANTIBIOTICS

ABSTRACT - Economy of dairy farming largely depends on pregnancy rate afterinsemination. Artificial insemination (AI) is the most widely used biotechnology forgenetic improvement through banks of frozen spermatozoa in bull. Thus the quality ofinseminant dose is crucial in bovine reproduction.In this study the semen was collected from 13 bulls on which the total microbial chargewas determined. Semen was diluted with an extender additioned with differentantimicrobial mixes and frozen. Sperm quality and total microbial charge weredetermined after equilibration and after cryopreservation. Results showed that bullsemen is contaminated with bacteria, with a charge variable between 180 to 13000CFU/ml. Bacterial contamination seemed to increase the proportion of spermatozoawith acrosome reaction, by a possible interaction of some bacterial product with thesperm acrosome membrane. The different mixes of antibiotics seemed did not affectedthe sperm quality, while the commercial antibiotic extender failed to protected semenfrom bacterial growth in 2 cases.[...