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Bacteriological Studies of Bovine Semen. II. The Incidence of Specific Types of Bacteria and the Relation to Fertility^1,2

Departments of Dairy Husbandry and Bacteriology The Pennsylvania State College, State College

ABSTRACT

By the use of special selective media the incidence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, coliform organisms and streptococci was determined in undiluted semen from bulls used for artificial breeding. In addition, the predominant types of bacteria present in semen were isolated and classified according to morphological and biochemical characteristics.

1. P. aeruginosa was confirmed in semen samples from both fertile and relatively infertile bulls. The organism was confirmed in all ejaculates examined from three fertile and two infertile bulls. Even in numbers of at least 1,000 per ml. the presence of the organisms was not indicative of level of fertility. However, the consistent presence of the organism in semen of the infertile bulls indicated that it may be associated with individual eases of infertility.
   
2. Coliform organisms were found only occasionally in semen from bulls at various levels of fertility. The presence of the group was associated with high plate counts of semen and may represent fecal contamination of the sample at the time of collection.
   
3. Members of the genus Streptococcus were not characteristic of the seminal flora.
   
4. Gram-positive rods, especially diphtheroids, were found to be predominant in the flora of bull semen. These organisms comprised a greater portion of the flora of fertile bulls than that of relatively infertile bulls.
   
5. Gram-positive micrococci were found next in frequency to the diphtheroidal flora. It perhaps was significant that the proportion of the flora represented by these forms was slightly greater in the case of bulls of low fertility.
   
6. Although the gram-negative rods encountered appeared as non-pathogenic types commonly present in nature, a greater percentage was found in semen from the relatively infertile bulls and the presence of certain of these organisms in semen may be associated with infertility.
   

¹ Authorized for publication May 31, 1949 as paper no. 1521 in the Journal Series of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station.

² The data contained in this paper are part of a thesis submitted by the senior author to the Graduate School of the Pennsylvania State College in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Science, 1948.