Epididymal and testicular lesions in rams following experimental infection with Actinobacillus seminis

Abstract

AIM: To investigate and assess the epididymal and testicular lesions in rams up to 44 days after inoculation with Actinobacillus seminis via various routes.

METHODS: Forty-four young (18–24 months old) rams were randomly divided into nine test and two control groups (n=4 per group). The test rams were infected by installation, drenching or injection of A. seminis organisms cultured for 24 h in a brain-heart infusion (BHI) broth containing 2.3 × 10⁹ cells/ml, via the following nine routes: intra-epididymal (1 ml), intravenous (3 ml), intra-urethral (3 ml), intra-preputial (3 ml), vas deferens (1 ml), intramuscular (3 ml), oral (10 ml), intranasal (3 ml), and intra-conjunctival (3 drops). All test rams were necropsied 9–44 days post-inoculation (p.i.). Control rams were subdivided into in-contact and non-contact groups and necropsied at 45 and 46 days p.i., respectively. Thin tissue sections were examined for histopathology.

RESULTS: Gross lesions were evident only in rams inoculated intra-epididymally. Epididymides on the inoculated side were two to three times larger than those on the un-inoculated side, and the testes attached to the inoculated epididymides were also enlarged. Fibrinopurulent periorchitis and tunica vaginalitis were seen in three rams and atrophy in one. Microscopically, epididymitis was present in 17 (47%) rams, the highest incidence being in the cauda, followed by the caput and the corpus epididymis. Seminiferous tubular degeneration with areas of lymphocytic infiltration were seen in four rams: three inoculated via the cauda epididymis and one via the urethra. No epididymal and/or testicular lesions were seen in rams inoculated via the nasal and conjunctival routes.

CONCLUSIONS: Injection of A. seminis in young rams by all routes except intra-conjunctival and intranasal resulted in epididymitis, predominantly in the cauda epididymis. Development of lesions in the reproductive tract following non-genital routes of inoculation supports earlier suggestions that non-venereal transmission of genital actinobacillosis occurs. This study confirmed the predilection of A. seminis for the epididymis, especially the cauda.

KEY WORDS:

• Actinobacillus seminis
• ovine epididymitis
• ovine orchitis
• ram venereal infection
• testicular pathology

Acknowledgement

The authors thank the College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Kansas, USA, for funding this research.