Pathological changes in accessory sex organs of rams following experimental infection with Actinobacillus seminis

Abstract AIM: To investigate and assess the susceptibility, lesions and route of dissemination in the accessory sex organs of young rams experimentally infected with Actinobacillus seminis. METHODS: The accessory sex organs were obtained from 64 young rams. The test rams (n=52) were infected by instillation, drenching or injection of 2.3 × 109 cells/ml A. seminis organisms via nine different routes: intra-epididymal (1 ml), I/V (3 ml), intra-urethral (3 ml), intra-preputial (3 ml), ductus deferens (1 ml), I/M (3 ml), oral (10 ml), intranasal (3 ml), and intra-conjunctival (3 drops). All test rams were necropsied 1–44 days post-inoculation (p.i.). Control rams (n=12) were necropsied at 1–46 days p.i. Accessory sex organs were cultured for A. seminis, and thin tissue sections were collected and examined for histopathological changes. RESULTS: Vesicular adenitis was the most frequent lesion (21/52; 40%), followed by ampullitis, deferentitis, urethritis and bulbo-urethral adenitis (20/52 (38%), 16/52 (31%), 1...