Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 16, 2026
Avian Semen Collection by Cloacal Massage and Isolation of DNA from Sperm
Published on: February 5, 2018
The experimental transmission of reticuloendotheliosis virus by cock semen
Qi Su1,2,3, Yang Li4, Zhizhong Cui3,2,1
1Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, 271018, Shandong, PR China.
Abstract:
Following artificial insemination, the egg-laying rate of a large-scale breeder chicken flock declined by10-15 %. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis detected the presence of reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) in semen from the breeder cocks used. Six REV strains were successfully isolated from semen randomly extracted from those cocks. Additionally, the whole sequence of SDAUR-S1 was sequenced and analysed. Cock models with continuous production of REV-positive semen were established by intravenous injection with SDAUR-S1. Eggs were then collected from hens after artificial insemination with REV-positive semen, for virus detection. The positive REV antibody rate for egg albumen was 58.3 % and the REV-positive rate for hatched embryos was 8.3 %, which suggested not only that REV can infect cock semen, but can also infect the offspring. In conclusion, the present study is the first to report on the isolation, genome analysis and transmission of REV in cock semen.
