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Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,2, Blacksburg 24061
Abstract
The first experiment was designed to determine if the antigenicity of egg yolk diluter could be eliminated with immune sera. Two virgin heifers were immunized with a yolkcitrate diluter containing glycerol and antibiotics. Non-immune serum and immune sera having titers of 1:640 and 1:2,560 were collected from individual heifers and frozen. Utilizing an equivalent proportions test, it was determined that 80 volumes of anti-egg yolk diluent serum titered 1:2,560 were necessary to neutralize one volume of diluent. In a second experiment, the effect of anti-diluter sera on the viability of bovine spermatozoa in that diluter was examined. Using a split ejaculate technique, seven ejaculates were divided and diluted in egg yolk or skimmilk diluter, cooled, glycerolated and stored at 5 C. On the first day after semen dilution, complement-fixed egg yolk immune sera titered 1:2,560, 1:640 or non-immune serum was added to aliquots of diluted semen (10% v/v). Aliquots of diluted semen without serum served as controls. The mean percentage of intact acrosomes for all serum-treated spermatozoa was greater than for controls but did not differ among serum treatments. Head-to-head agglutination occurred in all serum treatments and differed (P<.05) among serum treatments; however, the difference could not be associated with serum titer. Also, there were no significant treatment x diluter interactions for intact acrosomes or agglutination. Thus, the effect of one serum treatment over the other was not due to the presence of anti-diluter antibodies and must therefore be attributed to other differences in serum. Spermatozoa exposed to serum, regardless of antibody titer, maintained motility longer during a 37 C-incubation. It was concluded that anti-egg yolk serum is not detrimental to retention of the acrosome, ability to engage in head-to-head agglutination or maintenance of motility in egg yolk-diluted bovine spermatozoa.
1 Approved for publication, V.P.I, and S.U., College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Oct. 13, 1977.
2 Department of Dairy Science.
3 We are grateful to Dr. A. G. Hunter for his advice and comments toward the conduct of this study and Drs. W. Vinson and J. E. Chandler for assistance with the statistical analysis. We also wish to thank Mr. R. K. Robbins for his technical assistance and Select Sires, Inc., Plain City, OH, for their support and assistance.
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