Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Feb 25;55(1):16.
doi: 10.1186/1751-0147-55-16.

Effects on boar semen quality after infection with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus: a case report

Martin Schulze  1 , Sandra Revilla-Fernández, Friedrich Schmoll, Rudolf Grossfeld, Alfred Griessler
Affiliations

Effects on boar semen quality after infection with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus: a case report

Martin Schulze et al. Acta Vet Scand. .

Abstract

The effect of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) on semen quality was examined in a group of 11 spontaneously infected boars in a commercial boar stud. Semen samples were collected 4 weeks prior to 4 weeks post-infection (wpi). Infection with PRRSV of the European genotype subtype 1 (EU-1) was verified by specific quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in 36% of the serum samples. All boars seroconverted before 4 wpi and remained in normal condition throughout the study. Comparison of the percentage of morphologically intact spermatozoa revealed an increase of acrosome-defective spermatozoa (P = 0.012) between -4 and 4 wpi. Significant deleterious effects on semen quality were detected for membrane integrity when semen had been stored for 2 days after sampling. Analysis of sperm subpopulations in a thermoresistance test on day 7 after sampling revealed alterations in the percentage of circular, progressively motile spermatozoa (P = 0.013), in the percentage of non-linear, progressively motile spermatozoa (P = 0.01), and on the amplitude of lateral sperm head displacement (P = 0.047). There was no difference in the incidence of mitochondrially active spermatozoa (P = 0.075). Investigation of routine production data between pre- and post-infection status showed no differences on ejaculate volume (P = 0.417), sperm concentration (P = 0.788), and percentage of motile spermatozoa (P = 0.321). This case report provides insights into a potential control strategy for PRRSV outbreaks in boar studs.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Time line of the field study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of a PRRSV infection in routine semen production. Eleven boars were monitored over a period of −4 to 4 weeks post-infection (wpi) on the ejaculate parameter: volume (A), sperm concentration (B), and percentage of motile spermatozoa (C). Significant levels in ejaculate volume (P = 0.417), sperm concentration (P = 0.788), and motility (P = 0.321) between production weeks were not observed.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of a PRRSV infection on semen quality. Eleven boars were examined −4 and 4 weeks post-infection (wpi) on the percentage of morphologically intact spermatozoa (A), on the percentage of acrosome-defective spermatozoa (B), on the percentage of membrane-intact spermatozoa (C), on the percentage of circular, progressively motile spermatozoa (D), on the percentage of non-linear, progressively motile spermatozoa (E), and on the amplitude of lateral sperm head displacement (F). The differences between −4 and 4 wpi were significant (A: P = 0.037; B: P = 0.012; C: P = 0.021; D: P = 0.013; E: P = 0.01; F: P = 0.047) and are referred to by different, lower-case letters (a, b).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Lunney JK, Benfield DA, Rowland RR. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus: an update on an emerging and re-emerging viral disease of swine. Virus Res. 2010;154:1–6. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2010.10.009. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Prieto C, Garcia C, Simarro I, Castro JM. Temporal localization of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in reproductive tissues of experimentally infected boars. Theriogenology. 2003;60:1505–1514. doi: 10.1016/S0093-691X(03)00129-8. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Prieto C, Castro JM. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection in the boar: a review. Theriogenology. 2005;63:1–16. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2004.03.018. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Meng XJ, Paul PS, Halbur PG, Lum MA. Phylogenetic analysis of the putative M (ORF6) and N (ORF7) genes of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV): implication of the existence of two genotypes of PRRSV in the USA and Europe. Arch Virol. 1995;140:745–755. doi: 10.1007/BF01309962. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Revilla-Fernandez S, Wallner B, Truschner K, Benczak A, Brem G, Schmoll F, Mueller M, Steinborn R. The use of endogenous and exogenous reference RNAs for qualitative and quantitative detection of PRRSV in porcine semen. J Virol Meth. 2005;126:21–30. doi: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2005.01.018. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources