Effects of ultrasonography on the bovine testis and semen quality

Ten yearling beef bulls were assigned to control (n = 5) or ultrasound treatment (n = 5) groups. Treatment consisted of a single 3-min exposure per testis to ultrasonic radiation at a frequency of 5 MHz and at low acoustical intensity (spatial peak temporal averages at 10 and 18 mm, focal points of 0.14 and 0.59 mW/cm(2) and spatial peak pulse averages of 1.1 and 3.4 W/cm(2) at corresponding focal points). Ultrasonic treatment had no effect (P > 0.05) on the percentage of progressively motile spermatozoa, primary sperm defects, secondary sperm defects or normal acrosomes over a 10-wk posttreatment evaluation period. Similarly, scrotal circumference, testicular consistency, paired testes weight, paired epididymal weight, daily sperm production per gram of testicular parenchuma, and epididymal sperm reserves were not affected (P > 0.05) at 69 d following ultrasound treatment. Ultrasonography of bovine scrotal contents did not affect reproductive capacity over the interval studied.