Bacteria May Deteriorate Progressive Motility of Bovine Spermatozoa and Biochemical Parameters of Seminal Plasma

Abstract

Bacterial contamination of ejaculates has captured the interest of the wide andrological community. Interactions between spermatozoa and bacteria are partially known. The aim of our study was to evaluate qualitative bacterial composition of fresh bovine semen and to reveal associations amongst the quantity of bacteria (Colony Forming Unit – CFU/mL) present in bovine ejaculates with progressive motility of spermatozoa and biochemical parameters of seminal plasma. Fresh semen (n=20) was collected from Holstein-Friesian bulls. Progressive motility (PROG≥25µm/s) was analysed using Computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA). Seminal plasma was separated and subjected to assessment (Randox RX Monza analyzer) of following biochemical parameters: Magnesium (Mg), Calcium (Ca), Phosphor (P), Urea, Aspartate transaminase (AST), Alanine transaminase (ALT), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Cholesterol, Bilirubin, Triglycerides, Albumin and Uric acid. The identification of bacteria showed the prevalence of the genus Staphylococcus. The Pearson correlation analysis showed a negative significant (P

Staphylococcus-Induced Bacteriospermia In Vitro: Consequences on the Bovine Spermatozoa Quality, Extracellular Calcium and Magnesium Content

“…This study was built on the premises of our previous studies which reported that Staphylococcus species are highly represented in bovine semen with a decline in spermatozoa quality [ 1 , 2 , 11 ]. Semen samples were processed using the Percoll ® Plus density gradient medium and separated sperm pellets were individually contaminated by the Staphylococcus species in the presence of DPBS with MgCl 2 and CaCl 2 .…”

“…Our previous study [ 11 ] found out correlations between the presence of bacteria in bovine ejaculates and biochemical composition of seminal plasma. Especially, Mg seminal concentration acted as a critical parameter in terms of the bacterial presence.…”

“…Our research group revealed that not only the structure and function of spermatozoa may be affected by the bacterial load, but also the biochemical composition of seminal plasma is dependent on the amount of bacteria present in the specimen. Particularly, a strong significant correlation was recorded between CFU and magnesium concentration [ 11 ]. A previous study also reported that magnesium, calcium, as well as their natural ratio in seminal plasma are necessary for a proper function of sperm [ 12 ].…”

Core Microbiome of Slovak Holstein Friesian Breeding Bulls’ Semen

“…Currently, the bovine urogenital microbiome is has not been fully described or understood, especially in the case of males [ 25 ]. A previous study on the identification of bacterial presence in the semen of Holstein Friesian bulls used blood agars, Gassner agars and Tryptic soy agars, identifying the following bacteria: Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus cohnii, Staphylococcus klosii, Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus licheniformis, Staphylococcus xylosus, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus warneri, Staphylococcus lentus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus mycoides and Staphylococcus haemolyticus [ 26 ].…”

Comprehensive Flow-Cytometric Quality Assessment of Ram Sperm Intended for Gene Banking Using Standard and Novel Fertility Biomarkers

“…Usually, a minimum of 60–70% motility is required as optimal for boar or bovine spermatozoa to further processing [ 40 , 41 ]. However, analysis of ram semen samples in our study showed that the sperm viability of some samples was poor, even if their motility was relatively high (over 70%, data not shown).…”