Studies on seminal vesiculitis in the bull. I. Semen examination methods and post mortem findings

During the ten-year period 1968--1978, about 1500 bulls were examined yearly for possible inflammatory conditions in the genital organs. Thirty-one cases of vesiculitis with or without accompanying ampullitis, and one case of isolated, one-sided ampullitis were recorded. Twenty-three cases (72%) were found in young bulls aged 18 months or less. Diagnosis was based on clinical examination of the pelvic genital organs or examination of semen, or in most cases on both. In 17 (53%) of the cases the diagnosis was initially established in the laboratory. Of the laboratory methods, the most reliable was the demonstration of pus cells in Giemsa stained semen smears. Twenty-five cases (24 + one case of ampullitis) were examined post mortem. Fifteen showed interstitial vesiculitis, Group I (Galloway, 1964). The milder 'catarrhal' type (Group II) was found in 9 cases. The 'potential pathogenic' bacteria isolated from the inflamed vesicular glands were: Corynebact. pyogenes, 8 cases (33%), E. coli, 2 cases; Ureaplasma, 2 cases (one in combination with Corynebact. pyogenes). Four of the bulls were newly imported (stress ?), IN THREE BULLS THERE WAS A HISTORY OF NAVEL INFECTION DURING CALFHOOD, AND IN ONE CASE THE BULL HAD LARGE NUMBERS OF VESICAL CALCULI (ABOUT 300 G). In ten of the sets of pelvic organs examined (40%) rare congenital defects or anatomical variations were found in or around the colliculus seminalis (Blom, 1979b).