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Summary: The use of frozen semen for artificial insemination is the main approach utilised for the genetic improvement of most domesticated species. The advantages include lower transportation costs, continuous availability of semen, fewer occurrences of sexually transmitted diseases and the incorporation of desirable genes in a relatively short amount of time. Nevertheless, the use of frozen semen in buffalo herds remains limited due to the loss of sperm quality when buffalo semen is frozen. So, the goal of this study was to evaluate the pre‐ and post‐cryopreservation quality of buffalo semen diluted in three distinct freezing media: Tris‐egg yolk, Botu‐bov® (BB) and ACP‐111®. Thirty‐two ejaculates from four bulls were analysed in terms of kinetics, morphology and sperm viability by epifluorescence microscope. Thawed samples were also evaluated for capacitation‐like damage, DNA fragmentation and plasma and acrosomal membrane integrity using flow cytometry. The Tris‐egg yolk and BB® extenders yielded better results than the ACP‐111® extender for kinetics parameter (total motility, progressive motility and percentage of rapid cells). However, semen samples were similar for parameters evaluated by flow cytometry. Taken together, the data indicate that in comparison with Tris‐egg yolk and BB extender, ACP‐111® can also be used as an extender for buffalo semen cryopreservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the study "Processing of Semen With Pyospermia Allows Its Use in Equine Embryo Transfer Programs," by G. A. Monteiro and colleagues is presented.

An abstract of the study "Comparison of the DNA Fragmentation Index Between Cryopreserved Ejaculated Sperm and Epididymal Sperm in Stallions," by G. A. Monteiro and colleagues is presented.

Inflammation of the seminal vesicle interferes with fertility and is a persistent problem that is difficult to treat. The aim of this study was to evaluate the semen quality of 5 stallions with seminal vesiculitis before and after local treatment. All stallions were endoscopically treated for seminal vesiculitis during 10 consecutive days. The glandular lumen was accessed and flushed with a Ringer Lactate solution prior to antibiotic infusion. The antibiotic was selected based on the antibiogram from bacterial culture of samples previously collected from the seminal vesicles. The kinetic parameters (total motility - TM; progressive motility - PM; and rapid sperm - RAP), plasma membrane integrity (PMI), percentage of leukocyte (LEUK) and colony forming units (CFU) of fresh semen samples were evaluated. Additionally, nitric oxide (NO) content in seminal plasma was measured. All parameters were assessed before (T0), one week after treatment (T1) and one month after therapy (T2). The sperm kinetics and plasma membrane integrity showed an improvement in T1 that didn't last until T2. Percentage of leukocytes and CFU decreased on fresh semen and NO decreased on seminal plasma at T1 but were similar between T0 and T2. The results demonstrate that one week (T1) of local treatment leads to an improvement in sperm quality. However, this was not maintained one month (T2) after therapy, as seminal parameters at this time are similar to the pre-treatment values (T0), indicating the recurrence of the disease one month after therapy., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)