The Bacteriology of Bull Semen

Abstract

The bacterial count on 43 ejaculates collected from 19 bulls by means of an artificial vagina ranged from 1,000 to 22,000,000 per cc. It was found that by douching the sheath and washing the underline, if the bull was dirty, the number of bacteria in semen could be markedly reduced. Almost sterile yolk-phosphate diluent was consistently produced when fresh eggs from healthy hens were used and when aseptic methods were employed in the preparation of the diluent. Under other conditions the diluent may be responsible for the addition of large numbers of bacteria to semen samples. Bacterial growth during storage was held at a minimum by storing at 5° C. or lower. © 1941, American Dairy Science Association. All rights reserved.