Case study: Fertility-associated antigen in peripubertal beef bulls
Ejaculates from peripubertal bulls (n = 468) in 5 different populations were analyzed individually for the presence of fertility-associated antigen (FAA) using a lateral flow cassette. Bull age, scrotal circumference, ejaculate volume, sperm cells per milliliter of ejaculate, percentage of motile sp...
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Published in | Professional Animal Scientist Vol. 22; no. 4; pp. 353 - 357 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article Trade Publication Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Champaign
American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists
01.08.2006
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Ejaculates from peripubertal bulls (n = 468) in 5 different populations were analyzed individually for the presence of fertility-associated
antigen (FAA) using a lateral flow cassette. Bull age, scrotal circumference, ejaculate volume, sperm cells per milliliter
of ejaculate, percentage of motile sperm, percentage of normal sperm, and number of sperm in the ejaculate were recorded at
each collection. These data were compared in bulls with and without FAA in the ejaculate. The percentage of bulls that were
FAA-positive (FAA present in the ejaculate) ranged from 65 to 86% among the 5 populations. The only variable that differed
across all bulls at first semen collection was ejaculate volume with FAA-negative (FAA not detected in the ejaculate) bulls
having a greater volume (P < 0.001) than FAA-positive bulls. However, among subsets of bulls (n = 134) that were serially
collected (3 times at 30-d intervals) at 3 ranches, ejaculate volume was greater in FAA-negative bulls in only 1 of 3 collections
at each ranch. Additionally, the fact that a bull was capable of passing a breeding soundness exam did not affect the likelihood
that FAA would be detected in the ejaculate. Among bulls that had not reached puberty, 70% were FAA-positive. Ten bulls had
no detectable sperm in the ejaculate at their first collection, and 70% of those bulls were FAA-positive. These data suggest
that the production of FAA in semen is not affected by any variable typically measured during a breeding soundness exam. The
presence of FAA can be determined in an ejaculate either with or without sperm in peripubertal bulls.
fertility-associated antigen
semen
breeding soundness
peripubertal bulls |
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ISSN: | 1080-7446 1525-318X |