Field Evaluation of the Gel Diffusion Test for the Diagnosis of Ram Epididymitis Caused by Brucella ovis

A comparison was made with the microslide gel diffusion technique, the complement fixation test, cultural isolation, and clinical examination in detecting ram epididymitis caused by Brucella ovis. The results of the gel diffusion method are shown to be similar to those obtained by the complement fixation test and isolation of B. ovis from cultures of semen. The technique offers a reliable diagnostic method adaptable to field use in controlling ovine brucellosis and is more practical.     

Ram epididymitis: A clinical report

Two hundred and five ram lambs originating from several sources were assembled for a ram performance trial. All rams were immunized with a commercial Brucella ovis bacterin. Four rams developed clinical evidence of epididymitis during the 150 day trial. Actinobacillus seminis was identified as the causative agent.     

Isolation and characterization of Histophilus somni (Haemophilus somnus) in semen samples of rams with epididymitis

Histophilus somni (Haemophilus somnus) has been reported as the cause of epididymitis in rams. This bacterium has also been found in the preputial mucosa of rams without epididymitis lesions. H. somni is a bacterium that is difficult to characterize, since it is a pleomorphic Gram-negative bacilli of characteristics similar to Actinobacillus seminis, which is also found in ram epididymitis lesions. The objective of this work was to determine if H. somni (H. somnus) is involved in cases of sheep epididymitis. A clinical examination was performed in 160 rams, extracting semen by electro-ejaculation of 28 of them, which had epididymal lesions. The penis was exteriorized in order to avoid prepuce contamination. The semen samples were cultivated in chocolate agar in a 10% CO₂ environment. Two strains were isolated in pure culture with a colony morphology and microscopy similar to H. somni (H. somnus). These were identified using the API 20 E system, using as a control the reference strain of H. somnus (2336ATCC). One of the isolates (129H) resulted identical to the reference strain and the other (827) presented differences in the arginine decarboxylase, H₂S, catalase and inositol reactions, although these differences have been reported (in strains isolated from different geographic origins, animal species and anatomical region). To characterize the isolates, an electrophoretic analysis of total proteins was performed (PAGE–SDS) finding identical profiles between the reference strain of H. somnus and isolate 129H and similar in relation to isolate 827. The amplification of a fragment of approximately 407 bp was observed in the 129H isolate and the ATCC strain, but not in 827. In other samples, isolations were made of Brucella ovis, Corynebacterium spp., Staphylococcus and other pleomorphic Gram-negative bacilli similar to A. seminis. Therefore, it has been confirmed that H. somni is present in the reproductive tract of rams and it could be involved in the presentation of ovine epididymitis. It is important that we underline that this is the first report of H. somni isolation in Mexico from ram semen samples.     

Studies of Antigens for Complement Fixation and Gel Diffusion Tests in the Diagnosis of Infections Caused by Brucella ovis and Other Brucella

Sonically treated and saline-extracted antigens of Brucella ovis, B. canis, B. abortus, and B. melitensis were compared in gel diffusion, complement fixation, and serum absorption tests. All the sonically extracted antigens showed cross-reactions with sera from animals infected or immunized with these species, whereas the saline-extracted antigens were specific for the surface of the rough or smooth colonial phase of the species or strain. The saline-extracted antigens of B. ovis and B. melitensis were both eluted as a single peak in the void volume by Sephadex G-200 column chromatography, in gel diffusion had staining characteristics of lipoproteins, but in immunoelectrophoresis showed distinct mobility patterns. Serological activity for both gel diffusion and complement fixation tests was demonstrated in the immunoglobulin G-containing fraction of sera taken from sheep 12 to 412 days after infection with B. ovis. The gel diffusion test with saline extract of B. ovis is as sensitive as the complement fixation test for the diagnosis of ram epididymitis and is more practical.     

Relationships between Brucella ovis semen culture and various semen and serology parameters

Semen and blood samples from 154 rams from two Montana range flocks (Flock A, vaccinated for Brucella ovis ; Flock B, nonvaccinated) were evaluated to determine the relationship between Brucella ovis (B. ovis ) semen culture results and various semen and blood parameters. All rams utilized in this study exhibited no palpable ram epididymitis lesions. Thirteen and 25.6% of the rams tested in Flocks A and B, respectively, had positive B. ovis semen cultures. Only age of ram and ram condition scores differed (P<0.05) between flocks. No flock by semen culture interactions were detected (P>0.05) for any of the parameters evaluated. Age of ram, ram condition score, and spermatozoa rate from forward movement were unrelated (P>0.05) to B. ovis culture results. Rams with positive B. ovis semen cultures had lower sperm motility (P<0.05), higher percentage of abnormal spermatozoa cells (P<0.05), higher percentage of spermatozoa head abnormalities (P<0.01), lower percentage of live-normal cells (P<0.05), higher incidence of white blood cells in semen (P<0.01) and higher complement fixation (CF) titers (P<0.01).     

Semen characteristics of Ile-de-France rams of different age and physical condition

A breeding soundness examination (BSE) involving animal physical examination, scrotal circumference (SC) and semen evaluation was undertaken on 80 Ile-de-France rams at a government breeding farm, 32 km south-west of Casablanca (Morocco) from March to May 1988. A large percentage of rams (21.4%) was found to be unfit for breeding due to physical and genital abnormalities; 11 and 5% had disorders of the feet and respiratory system; upon genital palpation, 17.5, 13.8 and 7.5% of animals had orchitis, epididymitis and posthitis, respectively. The SC increased with age from 28.8+/-3.2 cm at 相似文献   

Chronic epididymitis: a practical approach to understanding and managing a difficult urologic enigma

Many patients with unilateral or bilateral testicular, epididymal, or scrotal pain as their sole presenting symptom receive a diagnosis of "chronic epididymitis." This common clinical entity is diagnosed and treated by practicing urologists but essentially ignored by academic urologists. This article defines chronic epididymitis, reviews current knowledge regarding its etiology, and describes appropriate physical examination and clinical testing for patients with the condition. The recently developed Chronic Epididymitis Symptom Index is presented, which can be used for baseline evaluation and follow-up of patients with chronic epididymitis, both in clinical practice and in research treatment trials. Treatment options, from watchful waiting to medical therapy to epididymectomy, are reviewed.     

Epididymo-orchitis; the significance of the condition in industrial surgery

Epididymo-orchitis, caused by direct trauma, is an uncommon condition, and the history and symptoms are quite different from those of the considerably more common so-called indirect epididymo-orchitis that is ascribed to trauma or strains, and which in symptomatology and clinical course is much like acute, nonspecific, pyogenic epididymitis. The author is convinced that the indirect trauma of muscular strain or minor injuries does not cause epididymitis; it is probable that slight trauma of that sort merely draws attention to an already existing inflammatory process that has made the scrotal area more sensitive than usual.     

Applications of diagnostic ultrasonography in small ruminant reproductive management

Modern portable ultrasound machines provide the veterinary clinician with an inexpensive and non-invasive method to further examine the reproductive tract of both male and female sheep on farm which should take no more than 5 min with the results available immediately. Unlike cattle, ultrasound examination of the ovaries is not undertaken because failure to cycle during the normal season is rare in sheep and there are no common ovarian conditions causing acyclicity. Accurate diagnosis of foetal number has greatly improved the nutritional management of late gestation ewes over the past 30 years. Late gestation nutritional supply in response to foetal demand greatly reduces perinatal lamb mortality by ensuring lamb birthweight and ewe colostrum accumulation. The contents of vaginal prolapse have been determined using ultrasonography which has led to an improved method for correction. A retained foetus when second stage labour is considered to have been completed, and uterine torsion, can be identified during ultrasound examination allowing timely correction. Ultrasonographic examination of palpable scrotal abnormalities can provide much useful information particularly in the diagnosis of epididymitis, orchitis and testicular atrophy.     

单纯稳恒强磁铁块外贴治疗附睾炎症性结节280 例的临床研究

目的:观察稳恒强磁外贴治疗附睾慢性炎症性结节、囊肿的效果,寻找非药物治疗附睾慢性炎症性结节、囊肿的方法.方法:园形强磁铁2块(直径2cm厚0.5cm,2块叠加厚度达1厘米)分别在内裤内外各一块作为固定,内裤向上提使磁块贴附附睾慢性炎症性结节、囊肿位置.在不影响工作生活的情况下持续粘贴,不能持续者则改用每天晚上睡觉时粘贴.结果:280例经彩超检测为附睾炎症性肿大结节、囊肿病人,持续外贴治疗24小时至72小时后,280例病人会阴及下腹部不适、痛疼症状均明显缓解;持续外贴治疗1周症状消失的有145例,症状基本消失的有35例;持续2-3周则症状全部消失.附睾增大变硬者经2周治疗局部触诊变软缩小,彩超提示结节变小.217例结节、囊肿患者中持续3至4周治疗肿物消失,彩超报告提示为正常附睾声像的有150例,67例大小较前明显变小,有效率达100％.结论:稳恒强磁外贴治疗附睾炎症性肿大结节、囊肿完全有效,是一种安全有效简便、无痛苦、易操作、价廉的值得推广的非药物治疗方法.     

Fine needle aspiration cytology of tubercular epididymitis and epididymo-orchitis

OBJECTIVE: To study the role of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and ancillary studies in the diagnosis of tubercular epididymitis or epididymo-orchitis. STUDY DESIGN: Forty patients with tubercular epididymitis or epididymoorchitis diagnosed on FNAC underwent a detailed clinical workup, imaging and microbiologic studies before being started on antitubercular treatment (ATT). One patient underwent orchiectomy. RESULTS: Clinically, the disease presented in patients of all ages usually as a scrotal swelling or rarely as a scrotal sinus (3) or abscess (3) or as part of disseminated tuberculosis (2). Three patients gave a history of previous tuberculosis. Scrotal sonography confirmed the involvement of the epididymis, testis or spermatic cord in each case. FNAC was diagnostic in 27 aspirates (epithelioid cell granulomas with caseation) but nondiagnostic in the rest. Tubercular etiology was confirmed directly by detection of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) on FNA smears in 24 (60%) patients and urine samples in 11 and indirectly in 9 patients with negative AFB by using a combination of a positive Mantoux test (5 of 9), presence of caseating granulomas on FNA smears (7 of 9) and therapeutic response to ATT (9 of 9). CONCLUSION: FNA as a minimally invasive technique plays a prime role in the diagnosis of tubercular epididymitis and epididymoorchitis. It provides adequate material for cytologic and microbiologic examination and helps to avoid unnecesary orchiectomy.     

Epididymite,M. S. T. et Fertilité

Before the antibiotic’s era, the clinicians have shown the relation between epididymitis and Infertility. At the moment, venerial diseases are the principal cause of Epididymitis by the young man. The early diagnosis of the urethral infection (acute or not) associated with a suitable antibiotherapy will allow to protect the fertility.     

The acutely painful scrotum in children: review of 113 consecutive cases

A young boy who presents with an acutely painful scrotum can be a diagnostic challenge to his physician. It is important to differentiate the various causes of this symptom and to institute prompt management. Failure to do so could jeopardize the patient''s future fertility. In a review of 113 consecutive cases of a painful scrotum at a children''s hospital, torsion of the testicle was found in 51 patients (45%). Torsion of the appendix testis was found in 40 patients (35%) and acute epididymitis, once considered rare in children, was diagnosed in 17 (15%). The importance of prompt diagnosis of torsion is emphasized. The clinical diagnosis of the acutely painful scrotum is notoriously difficult, and in this series of cases surgical exploration was required in 92%. Only 2 of the 17 cases of epididymitis were associated with a bacterial urinary tract infection.     

Measurement of the water permeability of the membranes of boar, ram, and rabbit spermatozoa using concentration-dependent self-quenching of an entrapped fluorophore

Published values for sperm membrane water permeability (L(p)) obtained using a time-to-lysis methodology have produced anomalous results when used to model optimal cooling rates for cryopreservation of spermatozoa. As the lysis method is dependent on potentially questionable assumptions, we describe an alternative method for measuring sperm L(p). Spermatozoa were exposed to hypo- and hyperosmotic conditions using a stopped-flow apparatus and the time course of resulting volume changes was measured using concentration-dependent self-quenching of the entrapped fluorophore, carboxyfluorescein (CF). L(p) was measured for boar, rabbit, and ram spermatozoa using a range of osmotic stresses (+/-50-100 mOsm). Values for exosmotic and endosmotic flow showed no evidence of rectification. Mean L(p) values were 0.84 microm/min/atm (boar), 0.28 microm/min/atm (rabbit), and 2.79 microm/min/atm (ram). These values are lower than the lysis method estimates, with the ram value reduced by approximately two-thirds using the current methodology. The value for boar spermatozoa showed good agreement with published values obtained using an electronic cell-sizing technique. Substitution of the revised values for L(p) into the model for optimal cooling rates brings the calculated optimal rate closer to the lower empirically observed value but does not fully account for the previously reported discrepancies.     

ABNORMALITIES OF SCROTAL CONTENTS IN CHILDREN

Disorders of the scrotal contents in infancy and childhood parallel fairly closely those found in adults and deserve equal consideration. Hydroceles, epididymitis, hernia and cryptorchism are the more common conditions, but injuries, torsion of the spermatic cord and malignant tumors also occur in this age group.Early, accurate diagnosis and definitive treatment increase the prospect for children with testicular disease to develop into healthy, fertile adults.     

Evidence for ram suspension feeding by the piscivore, Seriola dumerili (Carangidae)

Synopsis We have quantitatively analyzed a videotape of Seriola dumerili (Carangidae) displaying ram suspension-feeding behavior and ram ventilation in the field. This is the first report of facultative suspension feeding by a piscivorous carangid. The intraoral morphology of S. dumerili is not typical of ram suspension-feeding fishes in that closely-spaced, long gill rakers are lacking. While the mechanism of particle retention is not known for any ram suspension-feeding fish species, scanning electron microscopy revealed denticles on the branchial surfaces of S. dumerili that could play a role in particle entrapment.     

Sexual development and the effects of active immunization against GnRH in Chinese Tanyang ram lambs

Tanyang is one of the most important sheep breeds in the northwest of China. However, there is no detailed data on sexual development and timing of puberty/sexual maturity of this breed. This experiment was designed to study the relationships between growth rate and sexual development by measuring body weight, testis diameter, and plasma testosterone concentrations, and observing sexual behavior through puberty from 3 to 8 months old of entire Tanyang ram lambs. At same time, to assess the potential efficacy and welfare benefits of non-surgical castration, the effect of active immunization against gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) on sexual development and growth rate on ram lambs was evaluated, and compared with surgically castrated and entire lambs. The results showed that body weight increased at a constant rate from 3 to 8 months old of age. Testis diameter increased rapidly between 3 and 5 months, followed by a period of slow growth. Plasma testosterone concentrations increased sharply from 3 to 6 months of age (P<0.05), after which there were no significant changes from 6 to 8 months of age. Sexual behavior started from 5 months of age. After ram lambs were immunized against GnRH at 3 months of age, there was no increase in testis diameter in the first 4 months after immunization. Plasma testosterone concentrations remained at similar levels to surgically castrated lambs until 6 months of age, and the onset of sexual behavior was delayed, compared with entire ram lambs. GnRH immunization and surgical castration had no significant effect on the body weight by the end of this experiment. These results suggest that 4-5 months of age is a critical period for pubertal changes and testosterone plays an important role in the initiation of puberty and sexual maturity of Tanyang ram lambs in China. In addition, a single shot GnRH immunization at 3 months, acting as an alternative to surgical castration, is a practical method for Chinese Tanyang ram lambs, and provides animal welfare benefits.     

Identification of protective outer membrane antigens of Brucella ovis by passive immunization of mice with monoclonal antibodies

Outer membrane proteins (OMPs) and rough lipopolysaccharide (R-LPS), the main surface antigens of Brucella ovis, display surface-exposed epitopes. Mixtures of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to both antigens were previously shown to protect mice against a B. ovis challenge. To further identify the antigens involved, seven mAbs against Brucella OMPs (Omp10, Omp16, Omp19, Omp25, Omp31, Omp2b and Omp1) and three to R-LPS were tested for protection either individually or in combinations. Significant reduction in spleen infection in challenged mice, relative to controls, was used as the protection criteri. Controls included nonimmunized mice and mice given an irrelevant, anti-O-polysaccharide (OPS), mAb. For comparison, a group received a mouse serum containing antibodies to both OMPs and R-LPS; this serum was prepared by immunization with a B. ovis hot-saline extract which, as described previously, induces protective immunity in mice and rams. Significant protection was observed with both mAbs to OMPs and R-LPS. mAbs to Omp16, Omp19 and Omp31 afforded the highest protection and prevented the development of splenomegaly. The protective effect of mAb to Omp31 was not interfered with by nonprotective mAbs in different mixtures. The data presented confirm the protective role of antibodies to OMPs and R-LPS against B. ovis, and identify several OMPs, especially Omp31, which are promising candidates for a subunit vaccine against ram epididymitis.