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Germ Cell Weakness as a Cause of Testicular Hypoplasia in Bulls
Svaghet i könscellerna som orsak till testikelhypoplasi hos tjur
Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 33, pages 273–282 (1992)
Abstract
Sporadic cases of testicular hypoplasia were earlier found in bulls of the Swedish Red and White breed. An accumulation of cases have occurred since 1970 in sons of 2 outstanding progenytested bull sires, 2 F and 27 U, which had a common father, 545 B. The history and clinical examination of affected bulls varied. Some had azoospermia and very small testes at a young age, while others could be normal in all respect when they were young but had a short reproductive life and had to be culled at about 3 years of age. Most of the affected bulls were between these 2 extremes.
The histologic examination showed principally different degrees of testicular degeneration. There were always some germ cells left in all affected seminiferous tubules indicating that there was not a lack of germ cells causing the hypoplasia. Germ cell weakness is obviously a hereditary condition. The sires 545 B, 2 F and 27 U had a relatively low fertility. In their pedigree were several bulls known to have had a low fertility. No sons of 2 F and only a few sons of 27 U were used for A.I. services and at present only few cases of testicular hypoplasia are seen.
Sammanfattning
Sporadiska fall av testikelhypoplasi hos SRB-tjurar har varit känt sedan länge. Sedan 1970 har dock setts en anhopning av fall bland sönerna till de båda tjurfäderna 2 F and 27 U, vilka båda var avkomlingar till 545 U. Alla 3 tjurarna var relativt lågfertila. Anamnesen och den kliniska bilden hos defekta tjurar var mycket växlande. Några visade aspermi och mycket små testiklar redan vid de forstå spermasamlingarna. Andra kunde vara helt normal som unga och även ha normal fertilitet för en tid men visade snart en nedgang i fertilitet och spermakvalitet, så att de maste slås ut före 3 års alder. Övriga tjurar visade symptom melian dessa 2 ytterligheter. Histologiskt visade testiklarna en degenerationsbild. Även i höggradiga fall fanns dock alitid könsceller i tubuli seminiferi, även om de var degenererade. Detta visar att det rör sig om en principiellt annorlunda typ av hypoplasi an den som tidi-gare utförligt beskrivits för den svenska fjällrasen. I stamtavlorna för 545 Β, 2 F och 27 U finns flera tjurfäder, som var lågfertila. Inga soner efter 2 F och endast få efter 27 U kom att användas i A.I. och som en följd av detta har någon ny anhopning av testikelhypoplasi inte förekommit, även om enstaka fall diagnosticeras.
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Settergren, I., McEntee, K. Germ Cell Weakness as a Cause of Testicular Hypoplasia in Bulls. Acta Vet Scand 33, 273–282 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03547293
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03547293