Abstract
Eight heifers were artificially inseminated in the uterine body with 160×106 spermatozoa frozen in French mini-straws. The heifers were slaughtered 2 (n = 4) or 12 (n = 4) h after insemination and spermatozoa were recovered by flushing defined segments of the reproductive tract. The efficiency of the method was checked in different ways. There was a slight underestimation of the number of recovered spermatozoa. This underestimation was randomly distributed among heifers and genital tract segments.
The total number of spermatozoa recovered was higher at 2 than at 12 h (14.6 vs 0.6 % of the total number inseminated). Most spermatozoa were found in the vagina both at 2 and 12 h after insemination and in greater number at 2 h. In uterus there was a slight decline in the number of spermatozoa recovered at 2 versus 12 h after insemination. The number of spermatozoa recovered from the oviducts were similar at 2 (89.6 × 103) and 12 h (71.5 × 103) after insemination. At 2 h spermatozoa were found in all parts of the oviduct with the majority located in the utero tubal junction, whereas at 12 h the most were recovered from isthmus.
More spermatozoa were recovered from the left than from the right side of the tract in 6 of the 8 heifers. Only in 1 heifer were the majority of spermatozoa found in the oviduct ipsilateral to the follicle bearing ovary.
Keywords: sperm-transport, bovine, frozen semen
Sammanfattning
Åtta kvigor lnseminerades i corpus uteri med sperma frusen i minipayetter, innehållande 160 × 106 spermier. Två (n = 4) eller 12 (n = 4) timmar efter inseminationen slaktades kvigorna och spermierna lokaliserades genom spolning av könsorganen. Kontroll av metodens effektivitet visade att det förelåg en viss underskattning av antalet återfunna spermier. Denna underskattning var dock slump-mässigt fördelad mellan kvigorna och melian segmenten inom könsorganen.
Det totala antalet återfunna spermier var högre vid 2 timmar än vid 12 timmar efter inseminationen (14,6 resp. 0,6 % av antalet inse-minerade spermier). Huvuddelen av spermierna återfanns i vagina både vid 2 och 12 timmar och i större mängd vid 2 timmar. I livmodern förelåg en viss sänkning av antalet spermier mellan 2 och 12 timmar. Antalet spermier i äggledarna var nästan det samma vid 2 (89,6 × 103) och 12 (71,5 × 103) timmar efter inseminationen. Vid 2 timmar sågs spermier i alla delar av äggledaren och med huvuddelen i övergången mellan livmoderhorn och äggledare, medan vid 12 timmar de fiesta spermierna fanns i äggledarens isthmusdel.
Hos 6 av de 8 kvigorna återfanns fler spermier på vänster än på höger sida av könsorganen. Endast i 1 kviga sågs merparten av spermierna på samma sida som den follikelbärande äggstocken.
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