商业养猪业在其育种计划中利用人工授精(AI)。有了这种辅助生殖技术,该过程始于从安置在专用设施中的理想公猪获得新鲜射精(即,stud)还包含一个洁净室实验室,在那里评估精液质量,然后将射精处理成AI剂量。与人工智能的采用一致,母猪繁殖性能的中断可以追溯到公猪种马的贡献。通过实地调查和研究,已经确定了几种外来污染物,这些污染物在公猪或AI剂量水平下会影响精液质量。这些污染物可以分为生物或化学来源,在公猪水平引起生殖毒性结果和/或在AI剂量水平引起精子毒性。生物污染物包括主要是机会性微生物的多个属(即,细菌,真菌),以及它们的次级代谢物(例如,内毒素,外毒素,霉菌毒素)。化学污染物似乎来自螺柱处使用的产品,并包括清洁剂/消毒剂残留物,手套和塑料的渗滤液,精液补充剂杂质,纯净水和饮用水杂质,和杀虫剂(即,杀生物剂,杀菌剂,除草剂,杀虫剂,木材防腐剂)。总之,污染物是对种马的健康和生产力的真正和持续的威胁,并在养猪业造成了重大的繁殖和经济损失。在识别污染物的类型和来源方面获得的知识为制定和实施减轻行业风险的积极战略奠定了坚实的基础。
The commercial swine industry utilizes artificial insemination (AI) in their breeding programs. With this assisted reproductive technology, the process starts by obtaining fresh ejaculates from desirable boars who are housed in a dedicated facility (i.e., stud) that also contains a clean-room laboratory where semen quality is assessed and then ejaculates processed into AI doses. In concert with AI adoption, disruptions in sow herd reproductive performance have been traced back to contributions made from the boar stud. Through field investigations and research, several extrinsic contaminants have been identified that impact semen quality either at the boar or AI-dose level. These contaminants can be categorized as either biological or
chemical in origin, eliciting reprotoxic outcomes at the boar level and/or spermatotoxicity at the AI-dose level. Biological contaminants include multiple genera of primarily opportunistic microbes (i.e., bacteria, fungi), along with their secondary metabolites (e.g., endotoxins, exotoxins, mycotoxins).
Chemical contaminants appear to originate from products used at the stud, and include cleaning agent/disinfectant residues, leachates from gloves and plastics, semen extender impurities, purified and drinking water impurities, and pesticides (i.e., biocides, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, wood preservatives). In conclusion, contaminants are a real and constant threat to the health and productivity of a stud, and have caused significant reproductive and economic losses in the swine industry. The knowledge gained in recognizing the types and sources of contaminants provides a solid foundation for the development and implementation of pro-active strategies that mitigate risk to the industry.