Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Spermatozoal head defect as a cause of infertility in a stallion.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1991
- Authors:
- Held, J P et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Rural Practice
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old Arabian stallion had been struggling with infertility for three years and was checked for breeding issues. The veterinarian found that both of his testicles were small and noticed some fluid around them, but the tests on that fluid didn't show any problems. When examining his semen, it was found that only 10% of the sperm were moving well, and a staggering 92% of the sperm had abnormalities, mainly issues with the heads of the sperm. These head defects included bubbles and swelling or bending in the middle part of the sperm. This condition was identified as the likely cause of the stallion's infertility.
Abstract
A 9-year-old Arabian stallion with a 3-year history of infertility was evaluated for breeding soundness. Both testes were small. Ultrasonography revealed a small amount of free fluid between the tunics of both testes. Results of cytologic examination of the fluid were unremarkable. On semen examination, progressive motility was 10%, and total number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate was 6.6 x 10(9), of which 92% were abnormal. Predominant abnormalities were head defects (75%): 57% of the heads had single or multiple vacuoles, and 60% also had midpiece swelling or bending.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1813470/