Effect of Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccination on the Semen Quality of Mithun (Bos Frontalis)

Abstract

The present study was conducted to assess the effect of Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) vaccination on seminal parameters such as sperm motility, livability, total morphological abnormality, acrosomal and plasma membrane integrity and antioxidants profiles such as reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GRD), glutathione peroxidase (GPD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of semen of mithun breeding bulls, maintained at Semen Collection Centre, NRC on Mithun, Jharnapani, Nagaland. A total of 160 semen ejaculates of averaged 1.5 ml (1.39 ±0.59 ml) were collected from eight mithun bulls twice a week for five weeks before and five weeks after vaccination (Raksha–Ovac Trivalent vaccine) through rectal massage method and were used to assess the harmful effects through routine seminal and biochemical profile examination of semen. Results revealed that FMD vaccination affected the sperm functional parameters, antioxidant and biochemical profiles significantly (p< 0.05) in mithun bulls. Similarly, white blood cell count of mithun was also affected significantly (p<0.05). The harmful effects of vaccination on these profiles suggested that the semen collection and preservation should be stopped upto restoration of normal fertility of sperm to avoid conception failure from artificial insemination using such semen in this precious species.