Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Mar 15;11(3):827.
doi: 10.3390/ani11030827.

Impact of Overuse and Sexually Transmitted Infections on Seminal Parameters of Extensively Managed Bulls

Giovanni Montoya-Monsalve  1 , María-Jesús Sánchez-Calabuig  2 , Javier Blanco-Murcia  2 , Laura Elvira  1 , Alfonso Gutiérrez-Adán  3 , Priscila Ramos-Ibeas  3
Affiliations

Impact of Overuse and Sexually Transmitted Infections on Seminal Parameters of Extensively Managed Bulls

Giovanni Montoya-Monsalve et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Natural service remains the main breeding method in extensively managed beef herds. Although the bull might be the most important factor in determining herd fertility, its importance has been largely overlooked, focusing instead on female fertility. Management of the bull is critical to maximize the opportunities for cow conception. Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) and bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) are infections associated with reduced conception rates. This study aimed to determine the effect of both IBR and BVD infection, and bull: cow ratio on seminal parameters in the bull and herd fertility. The presence of antibodies to IBR and BVD, seminal parameters (volume, concentration, mass, and progressive motility), and herd fertility were analyzed in 158 extensively managed bulls. Sperm concentration and mass motility, as well as herd fertility, were significantly lower in BVD-positive bulls. No significant differences were found between IBR-positive and -negative bulls in any reproductive parameter. Sperm concentration was negatively affected by BVD infection in both Charolais and Limousin bulls, whereas mass motility and herd fertility were reduced in Limousin bulls only. No differences were observed in the cow: bull ratio between BVD+ and BVD- bulls. A significant negative correlation was detected between the number of cows per bull and herd fertility, which was negatively affected when herds had more than 40 cows per bull. In conclusion, BVD and bull overuse negatively affect the reproductive performance of the herd.

Keywords: bovine viral diarrhea; bull: cow ratio; extensively managed bull; herd fertility; infectious bovine rhinotracheitis; seminal parameters.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Differences in sperm parameters and fertility between bovine viral diarrhea (BVD)-positive and BVD-negative bulls. Mean and SEM of seminal parameters and herd fertility of BVD-positive and -negative bulls. * indicates statistically significant differences, t-test (p < 0.05).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Analysis of sperm parameters and fertility between infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR)-positive and IBR-negative bulls. Mean and SEM of seminal parameters and herd fertility of IBR-positive and IBR-negative bulls. * indicates statistically significant differences, t-test (p < 0.05).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Analysis of sperm parameters and fertility in BVD- and/or IBR-positive and -negative bulls. Mean and SEM of seminal parameters and herd fertility of bulls infected with both BVD and IBR, BVD-only, IBR-only, and negative bulls. Different letters indicate statistically significant differences, One-way ANOVA (p < 0.05).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Correlation between cow: bull ratio and the fertility of the herd. (A–E) Linear regression between cow: bull ratio and reproductive parameters. (F) Mean and SEM of herd fertility of bulls with 40 or more cows and with less than 40 cows. * indicates statistically significant differences, t-test (p < 0.05).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Coulter G.H., Foote R.H. Bovine testicular measurements as indicators of reproductive performance and their relationship to productive traits in cattle: A review. Theriogenology. 1979;11:297–311. doi: 10.1016/0093-691X(79)90072-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Schillo K.K., Hall J.B., Hileman S.M. Effects of nutrition and season on the onset of puberty in the beef heifer. J. Anim. Sci. 1992;70:3994–4005. doi: 10.2527/1992.70123994x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Tanaka M., Hennebold J.D., Miyakoshi K., Teranishi T., Ueno K., Adashi E.Y. The generation and characterization of an ovary-selective cDNA library. Mol. Cell Endocrinol. 2003;202:67–69. doi: 10.1016/S0303-7207(03)00064-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Adamczewski J.Z., Fargey P.J., Laarveld B., Gunn A., Flood P.F. The influence of fatness on the likelihood of early-winter pregnancy in muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) Theriogenology. 1998;50:605–614. doi: 10.1016/S0093-691X(98)00165-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Alexander J.H. Bull breeding soundness evaluation: A practitioner’s perspective. Theriogenology. 2008;70:469–472. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2008.05.030. - DOI - PubMed

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources