Reproduction in Domestic Animals - Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias
Reproduction in Domestic Animals - Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias
Reproduction in Domestic Animals - Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias
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16 t h International Congress on Animal <strong>Reproduction</strong><br />
108 Poster Abstracts<br />
problem mares, one may conclu<strong>de</strong> that uter<strong>in</strong>e cytology is the first<br />
choice exam to <strong>de</strong>tect endometritis <strong>in</strong> mares. Acknowledgements:<br />
FAPESP 05/53112-4 and FAPESP 06/59003-5.<br />
P241<br />
Sperm morphology variation of stallion ejaculates <strong>in</strong><br />
different breed<strong>in</strong>g seasons<br />
Morrell, JM*, Dal<strong>in</strong>, AM and Rodriguez-Mart<strong>in</strong>ez, H<br />
Division of <strong>Reproduction</strong>, Dept of Cl<strong>in</strong>ical Sciences, SLU, Box 7054, 75007<br />
Uppsala, Swe<strong>de</strong>n<br />
Previous reports have <strong>de</strong>scribed seasonal variation <strong>in</strong> the proportion of<br />
stallion spermatozoa with normal morphology but there is a paucity of<br />
data on variation between different years. The present report is a<br />
retrospective analysis of morphology evaluations from 8 stallions over<br />
several years. The stallions were all from a commercial stud (Fly<strong>in</strong>ge<br />
AB, Fly<strong>in</strong>ge, Swe<strong>de</strong>n). Three or four ejaculates were collected from<br />
each stallion un<strong>de</strong>r a three-week period <strong>in</strong> June 2006. Aliquots of each<br />
ejaculate were used to prepare air-dried sta<strong>in</strong>ed smears or fixed <strong>in</strong><br />
formol sal<strong>in</strong>e for later evaluation as wet smears, us<strong>in</strong>g the procedure<br />
<strong>de</strong>scribed by Lagerlöf. The evaluation of sperm morphology was<br />
performed by skilled, experienced technical personnel at SLU. The<br />
proportion (%) of morphological spermatozoa was estimated and used<br />
to establish a 95% confi<strong>de</strong>nce <strong>in</strong>terval (CI) for normal morphology for<br />
these stallions. Analyses were also available for <strong>in</strong>dividual ejaculates<br />
from the same stallions <strong>in</strong> previous years and <strong>in</strong> 2007. The results<br />
from other years were compared with the 95% CI for 2006: if the<br />
results lay with<strong>in</strong> the 95% CI, they were consi<strong>de</strong>red not to be<br />
significantly different from the 2006 values; if they lay outsi<strong>de</strong> the<br />
95% CI, they were consi<strong>de</strong>red to be significantly different. Therefore,<br />
of the 21 evaluations ma<strong>de</strong> <strong>in</strong> years other than 2006, 12 were outsi<strong>de</strong><br />
the 95% CI and were consi<strong>de</strong>red to be significantly different from the<br />
2006 means. Of these, 10 were higher than the 95% CI, whereas two<br />
were lower. However, n<strong>in</strong>e ejaculates were not statistically different<br />
from the 2006 mean values. Interest<strong>in</strong>gly, stallion R showed a steady<br />
<strong>de</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> the proportion of spermatozoa with normal morphology<br />
over 13 years. In conclusion, consi<strong>de</strong>rable variation <strong>in</strong> normal<br />
morphology occurs between ejaculates from any <strong>in</strong>dividual stallion <strong>in</strong><br />
different breed<strong>in</strong>g seasons, and this difference varies among stallions.<br />
Acknowledgments: Fun<strong>de</strong>d by the Swedish Equ<strong>in</strong>e Research<br />
Organisation, Stockholm. We thank Karen Sel<strong>in</strong>-Wretl<strong>in</strong>g and Annika<br />
Rikberg for their skilled sperm morphology analysis, and Fly<strong>in</strong>ge AB<br />
for semen samples.<br />
P242<br />
Impact of a s<strong>in</strong>gle adm<strong>in</strong>istration of hcg on free thyroid<br />
hormone levels <strong>in</strong> mares at oestrus<br />
Mut<strong>in</strong>ati, M*, Rizzo, A; Nicassio, M; Matarrese, R; Spedicato, M; M<strong>in</strong>oia, G;<br />
Lacalandra, GM; Sciorsci, RL<br />
Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Veter<strong>in</strong>ary Medic<strong>in</strong>e, Bari, Italy<br />
Human chorionic gonadotrop<strong>in</strong> (hCG) is a glycoprote<strong>in</strong> hormone<br />
shar<strong>in</strong>g a high structural resemblance with the molecule of the thyroid<br />
stimulat<strong>in</strong>g hormone (TSH). Furthermore, the extracellular doma<strong>in</strong> of<br />
the LH/CG receptor and TSH receptor, share 45% homology. The<br />
aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of a s<strong>in</strong>gle <strong>in</strong>tra-muscular<br />
adm<strong>in</strong>istration of hCG, on serum concentrations of free<br />
triiodothyron<strong>in</strong>e (fT3) and free thyrox<strong>in</strong>e (fT4) <strong>in</strong> mares. Twenty<br />
healthy, adult mares <strong>in</strong> oestrus, were divi<strong>de</strong>d <strong>in</strong> two groups: group A<br />
consist<strong>in</strong>g of 10 subjects, treated with 5 ml of sterile sal<strong>in</strong>e solution,<br />
(NaCl 0.9%); group B consist<strong>in</strong>g of 10 subjects, treated with 4000<br />
I.U. of hCG (Chorulon®, INTERVET). All mares un<strong>de</strong>rwent 7 blood<br />
collections: T1, contextually to drug adm<strong>in</strong>istration; T2, T3, T4, 2, 6<br />
and 24 hours after drug adm<strong>in</strong>istration, respectively; T5, T6, 3 and 6<br />
days after drug adm<strong>in</strong>istration. All mares were <strong>in</strong>sem<strong>in</strong>ated with<br />
refrigerated semen belong<strong>in</strong>g to the same, proved stallion, soon after<br />
T3 and un<strong>de</strong>rwent a pregnancy diagnosis 14 days after <strong>in</strong>sem<strong>in</strong>ation.<br />
Dosages of fT3 and fT4 were performed on all the blood samples<br />
collected, with immunoenzymatic competitive kits (EIA WELL®,<br />
RADIM, Pomezia, Italy). Data were statistically analyzed with chi<br />
squared, one way ANOVA and Stu<strong>de</strong>nt’s t-test. The conception rate<br />
of group A was 40%, whereas <strong>in</strong> group B it reached 80% (p