Adverse temporal trends in human semen quality and cryptorchidism in infants have been associated with exposure to environmental chemicals (ECs) during development. Here we report that a population of breeding dogs exhibit a 26 year (1988–2014) decline in sperm quality and a concurrent increased incidence of cryptorchidism in male offspring (1995–2014). A decline in the number of males born relative to the number of females was also observed. ECs, including diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and polychlorinated bisphenol 153 (PCB153), were detected in adult dog testes and commercial dog foods at concentrations reported to perturb reproductive function in other species. Testicular concentrations of DEHP and PCB153 perturbed sperm viability, motility and DNA integrity in vitro but did not affect LH stimulated testosterone secretion from adult testis explants. The direct effects of chemicals on sperm may therefore contribute to the decline in canine semen quality that parallels that reported in the human.

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A note on versions:The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher's version. Please see the repository url above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription. or crosses of those breeds aged between 1.6 and 7.2 years at examination) were 17 examined. A subpopulation of 32 bitches that had completed their breeding careers 18 at ≥ 6 years of age was also identified. 18.3% of bitches were diagnosed with CEH; 19 these cases were newly diagnosed when bitches were between 2.5 years and 7.3 20 years of age. The proportion of ultrasound examinations where CEH was identified 21 increased from 6.8% of examinations on two year old breeding bitches to 60.0% of 22

(2015) Digital image analysis of testicular and prostatic ultrasonographic echogencity and heterogeneity in dogs and the relation to semen quality. Animal Reproduction Science, 160 . pp. 112-119. ISSN 1873-2232 Access from the University of Nottingham repository: http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/38918/1/Image%20analysis%20testes%20and%20prostate %20Animal%20Reproduction%20Science.pdf Copyright and reuse:The Nottingham ePrints service makes this work by researchers of the University of Nottingham available open access under the following conditions. This article is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives licence and may be reused according to the conditions of the licence. For more details see: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ A note on versions:The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher's version. Please see the repository url above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription.For more information, please contact eprints@nottingham.ac.uk shape, position, margination and internal architecture of the testes (England, 58 1991;Eilts et al., 1993; Paltiel et al., 2002;Gouletsou et al., 2008; Souza et al., 59 2014) and prostate gland (Blum et al., 1985; Juniewicz et al., 1989; England, 60 1991;Eilts et al., 1993; Ruel et al., 1998; Paltiel et al., 2002; Gouletsou et al., 61 2008; Freitas et al., 2013;Freitas et al., 2015). Ultrasonography also provides a 62 valuable tool in assessing reproductive pathology (Cartee and Rowles, 1983; 63 Feeney et al., 1987; Pugh and Konde, 1991; Cooney et al., 1992; England, 1995; 64 Keenan, 1998;Nautrup and Tobias, 2001; Hecht, 2008). 65 66In clinical practice, ultrasound images are subjectively assessed and described in 67 terms of their image texture; principally echogenicity and heterogeneity. A small 68 number of studies have proposed a relationship between grossly detectable 69 lesions within the testes and semen quality (England, 1991; Vencato et al., 2014). 70Objective analysis of echogenicity from measurements of pixel intensity is 71 however possible using digital image analysis (Ivancic and Mai, 2008) The aim of this study was to measure testicular and prostatic ultrasonographic 89 echogenicity and heterogeneity using digital image analysis, and investigate the 90 relationships between these measures and semen quality in a group of known 91 fertile dogs. 92 93 Materials and Methods 94 Study animals 95Forty-three stud dogs (21 Labrador Retrievers, 12 Golden Retrievers, 6 German 96 Shepherds, 1 Border Collie, 1 Flat Coated Retriever, 1 Irish Water Spaniel and 1 97Standard Poodle) with a mean weight of 35.5 ± 5.8 kg (range 20.6 to 54.1 kg) 98 aged between 1.1 and 9.3 years (mean 4.2 ± 2.0 years) were examined. Dogs 99 5 were selected on the basis that they met the following inclusion criteria; (1) 100 clinically healthy, (2) o...

ContentsThe reproductive potential of male animals is commonly evaluated using a breeding soundness examination incorporating B-mode ultrasound examination of the testes and recently Doppler ultrasound examination of the testicular arteries. These techniques may detect testicular normality or pathology, and while some measured parameters are associated with semen quality at the time of ultrasound examination, few studies have investigated the relationship with future semen quality. We hypothesized that B-mode and Doppler ultrasound measurements would correlate with future semen quality. Within two studies, we investigated the relationship between ultrasound measured testicular volume, testicular echogenicity, testicular homogeneity, subjective assessment of the testicular parenchyma, testicular artery resistance index, and pulsatility index with subsequent semen quality. Fifty-five normal fertile dogs of which 29 had stable semen quality and 26 had a subsequent decline in semen quality were examined during a 6-month period commencing 62 days after the ultrasound examination.Statistical analysis showed that no ultrasound parameters were predictive of future total sperm output or percentage live normal sperm. However, mean testicular echogenicity was positively related to future sperm motility (t = 2.202, p = .039). We conclude that quantitative ultrasound assessment of the appearance of the testicular parenchyma has potential for the evaluation of future semen quality in dogs.

Companion Animals Ultrasonographic imaging is an important diagnostic tool because it allows assessment of the shape, size, position, margination and internal architecture of organs, as well as facilitating the study of vascular supply and vascularisation. Recently, there has been considerable development of B-mode, Doppler and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography for examination of the reproductive tract of dogs, both for studying normal physiology and in the clinical setting. This article describes the practical examination of the canine prostate gland and testes using a variety of ultrasound techniques, and details the normal appearance and blood flow of these organs as well as changes that may be observed with common reproductive disorders. Imaging the prostate gland An image of the prostate gland can be achieved by placing the ultrasound transducer on the caudoventral abdomen, adjacent to the prepuce. Most dogs can be examined without sedation while standing or when positioned in dorsal or lateral recumbency. A 7.5 to 10.0 MHz transducer is preferable and imaging is facilitated by the presence of urine within the bladder. Imaging should always be undertaken in both the transverse and longitudinal planes, while the frontal (dorsal) plane is also useful. When the prostate lies entirely within the pelvis, transrectal imaging can be performed in large dogs but not in small dogs. B-mode ultrasonography Normal prostate gland The prostate is an ovoid-shaped, bilobed gland positioned