Abstract

Twenty adult rabbit bucks allocated into two groups of ten each as control group A and infected group B was studied for semen characteristics of rabbit bucks experimentally infected with T. brucei brucei for 12 weeks. Group B rabbits were infected with 1 mL of the parasites containing 1×10⁶ trypanosomes, while group A bucks were left uninfected. Semen was collected weekly between 9.00-11.00 h and semen samples evaluated for colour, pH, motility, volume, morphology, concentration and spermatozoa live dead ratio. The control bucks had total mean semen volume of 0.52±0.05 mLs, while the infected bucks had mean value of 0.43±0.08 mLs. Semen motility decreased from week six post infection giving mean values of 64.67±4.83% for control group and 45.20±5.79% for infected group. Spermatozoa concentration decreased from five weeks post infection to ten weeks post infection. Control group had highest mean spermatozoa concentration of 165.80±23.13×10⁶/mL at week five and lowest mean of 50.80±17.81×10⁶/mL at week one. Spermatozoa morphology had a mean value of 38.73±1.21% for normal cells and 17.84±1.32% for the infected group. Percentage live sperm cell ratio for control group had live mean values of 59.33±2.21% while infected group had mean values of 48.11±5.86%.

Keywords:

Spermatozoa, rabbit bucks, trypanosoma brucei brucei,

References

Competing interests

The authors have no competing interests.

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The authors have no competing interests.