Swine diseases transmissible with artificial insemination

The transport of fresh and frozen semen to be used for artificial insemination creates a mode of disease transmission between farms. Normally, semen contains a number of nonpathogenic bacterial contaminants; however, excessive bacterial contamination can result in infertile matings. Contamination with a known pathogen, eg, Brucella suis, could initiate a serious outbreak of disease in a recipient herd. Methods to minimize bacterial contamination of semen include sanitary collecting and processing of semen, isolation of boards from certain pathogens, and the addition of appropriate broad spectrum or combination antibiotics to the semen. Mycoplasmas also have been isolated from semen, although transmission by this route is unlikely. The addition of an appropriate antimycoplasmal antibiotic to semen may be warranted in some situations. Numerous viruses have been detected in semen. Their exclusion from semen is especially critical because of their ability to survive in frozen semen. These viruses include pseudorabies virus, porcine parvovirus, enterovirus, adenovirus, vesicular disease virus, and African swine fever virus. The likelihood of disease transmission is greater with the introduction of a boar into a herd than through the use of fresh or frozen semen. We believe that artificial insemination allows for the introduction of new genetics into a breeding program, with minimal risk of disease transmission.