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Nonreturn Rate and Embryonic Mortality from Inseminations by Bulls with Vibrio fetus

American Foundation for the Study of Genetics, Madison, Wis.

A. H. Frank and J. H. Bryner

Animal Disease and Parasite Research Branch, Beltsville, Md.

D. E. Bartlett

American Breeders Service, Chicago

ABSTRACT

Data are presented which were obtained during the course of a large-scale experiment to compare three different treatments involving antibacterial agents with a control. Seven bulls were found to be infected with pathogenic vibrio (V. fetus) as evidenced by catalase tests. Breeding results from these bulls were compared with bulls believed to be carrying only nonpathogenic vibrio or with the other bulls in the experiment. There was a markedly greater embryonic mortality and a lower nonreturn rate among the cows bred to bulls infected with V. fetus when no antibacterial agents were in the extender. Results for these bulls were comparable with the others when antibacterial agents were in the extender. Streptomycin alone was as effective as treatment with streptomycin in combination with either sulfanilamide or penicillin.

Five bulls with V. fetus had services on the first and second days after collection. Without antibacterial agents the nonreturn rate increased from the first to the second day in contrast to the usual decline as observed with these same bulls when antibacterial agents were included in the extender or with any of the four treatments with 52 other bulls not known to have V. fetus and with services on the first and second days. These data suggest the possibility that V. fetus, while in vitro at refrigeration temperatures above freezing, tend to undergo some reduction in ability to cause infection, even in the absence of antibiotics.