Objective: This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of different types of gross testicular disorders in bulls, and to evaluate the associations with sampling year, age, and body condition. Materials and methods: In this study, a total of 398 apparently healthy bulls were randomly selected that were brought from different parts of eastern Ethiopia to the Haramaya University abattoir for slaughtering during the period from June 2014 to September 2016. Ante- and post-mortem examinations of the bulls were employed. Visual inspection, palpation, serial and systematic dissections into the parenchyma of the testes and scrotum were performed to determine the presence and the extent of gross pathological changes. Results: Out of 398 bulls, 209(52.5%) were affected by one or more gross testicular abnormalities of unidentified causes. Bilateral testicular hypoplasia was the most prevalent (9.8%; n=39/398) testicular abnormality, followed by unilateral testicular hypoplasia (9%; n=36/398), testicular hematoma (9%; n=36/398), orchitis (8.3%; n=33/398), testicular degeneration (6.5%; n=26/398), scrotal wound (6.3%; n=25/398) and epididymitis (2.5%; n=10/398). Unilateral cryptorchidism was the least prevalent (1%; n=4/398). Age and body condition did not affect the prevalence of any abnormality (P>0.05) except in scrotal wound which was significantly varied among body condition categories (P<0.05). Conclusion: This study reveals that the incidence of gross testicular abnormalities was 52.5% in bulls. Thus, attention should be given to reproductive management of bulls in Ethiopia. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2017; 4(2.000): 200-206]

At initiation of a 140-day postweaning weight gain test, Angus bulls were assigned in equal numbers (n = 5) to 1 of 3 treatment groups to determine effects of implantation with zeranol, an estrogenic growth promotant, on selected reproductive characteristics. The bulls, whose age (mean +/- SD) was 233 +/- 20 days at initiation of the test (day 0), were implanted with 36 mg of zeranol on day 0, on days 0 and 60, or were not implanted. At day 140, scrotal circumference and testicular consistency were unaffected by zeranol implantation. Zeranol implantation did not affect the morphologic characteristics of semen samples collected by electroejaculation on day 139. There was no effect of zeranol treatment on paired weights of testes, epididymides, or vesicular glands from bulls at slaughter 47 to 68 days after day 140. Microscopic lesions associated with estrogenic exposure were not observed in accessory sex glands or epididymides of any bull. Histopathologic changes in the seminiferous epithelium were not induced by zeranol treatment. Implantation with zeranol did not affect body weight or hip weight at day 140 or carcass weight at slaughter. Plasma concentration of luteum hormone was increased (P = 0.04), whereas testosterone concentration tended to be less (P = 0.08) in both groups of zeranol-implanted bulls after administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone on day 140.

Data on 5,711 Duroc-sired, 2,227 Landrace-sired, and 2,494 Yorkshire-sired male pigs born over a 9-year period were used to evaluate the genetic influence on scrotal herniation. Differences in frequency of this defect among boar breeds (Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire) were significant (P < 0.01). Differences among sires within the Duroc and Landrace boar groups were significant (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively), but differences within the Yorkshire group were not significant. Frequency of scrotal hernia among male full siblings of affected males was consistently higher than the overall frequency of the defect among progeny in each of their respective breed of boar groups. Percentage of affected pigs among male full siblings of affected males for Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire groups, respectively, was 3.0, 3.0, and 2.7 times greater than the overall percentage affected in their respective breed groups. Heritability of susceptibility to scrotal hernia development was estimated to be 0.29 +/- 0.17, 0.34 +/- 0.23, and 0.34 +/- 0.19 in Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire-sired pig groups, respectively.

The putative binding of porcine parvovirus (PPV) to semen components in vitro was examined along with the shedding pattern of PPV in oronasally infected boars. Porcine parvovirus DNA was determined to be bound to spermatozoa that had been incubated in vitro with PPV and washed to remove loosely adherent virus. To determine whether PPV was shed in the semen, four 8-month-old boars, seronegative for PPV, were inoculated oronasally with a virulent strain of PPV. Prior to virus inoculation, a catheter was surgically implanted in the vas deferens for the purpose of collecting cauda epididymal semen free of extrinsic contamination. Epididymal semen specimens were collected prior to inoculation and daily thereafter for 21 days. A fifth boar was inoculated oronasally with PPV, but semen was collected by electroejaculation twice weekly for an equal period of time. Reproductive glands and semen specimens from all boars were examined by nucleic acid hybridization for the presence of viral DNA. All boars seroconverted to PPV, as evidenced by serum antibody titers ranging from 512 to 8,192 hemagglutinating inhibition units/50 microliter. Porcine parvovirus DNA was detected in epididymal semen of 3 of 4 catheterized boars on postinoculation days 5 through 9, but not in semen obtained by electroejaculation. Viral DNA was consistently detected in tissue samples collected on postinoculation days 8 and 21 from the scrotal lymph nodes (4 of 5 boars) and epididymides (3 of 5 boars).

Seminomas are one of the common testicular tumours that occur mostly in dogs above five years of age. A case of nine-year-old male German Shepherd dog, presented to University Veterinary Hospital, Kokkalai with a history of swelling on the scrotum for the past two months and its successful surgical management is discussed. The right testicle was found to be highly enlarged and hard while the other atrophied. Histopathological examination following its surgical removal, confirmed it as seminoma.