Metabolic Responses of Bovine Spermatozoa to Antibacterial Agents

Sulfanilamide and the antibiotics, penicillin and streptomycin, are now being used singly or in various combinations almost universally in the diluted semen processed and shipped from bull studs throughout this country. The wide-spread use of these agents has resulted from research and observations which showed that these agents control bacteria (3, 4, 5, 11) , prolong livability (3, 4, 5, 11, 12) , and improve fertility (1, 2, 16, 22) of bovine spermatozoa. The improvement in fertility has been more marked for semen from bulls with moderate and low fertility levels than for semen from bulls with relatively high fertility (1, 2, 16) . The beneficial effects of these agents on livability and fertility of bovine spermatozoa generally have been ascribed to their control of the bacterial flora of the semen. The results of the metabolic studies by Almquist et al. (5) and Knodt and Salisbury (12) of penicillin and sulfanilamide treated semen, respectively, indicate that some of the beneficial effects may be due to the effects of these agents on spermatozoan metabolism.