Anti-sperm antibodies and fertility of turkey hens.
Anti-sperm antibody titers increase with time in serum of turkey hens following a standard production schedule of artificial insemination (AI). In hens receiving intravenous (IV) or intraperitoneal (IP) additional AI, serum anti-sperm antibody levels increase more rapidly after a lag phase. A single injury to the oviduct also resulted in increased anti-sperm antibodies similar to IV and IP groups. This is a new observation that a single injury increased antibody titers to spermatozoa equal in IV and/or IP injections. A negative correlation between serum anti-sperm antibody titers for IV, IP and injury to oviduct and fertility of these groups was observed. Hens of IV and injury to oviduct groups with high levels of anti-sperm antibodies in the last 2 weeks of production had significantly lower fertility than hens with low levels of antibodies and control hens.
D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000276:immunology*; D014422:Turkeys / Q000276:immunology*
D000906:Antibodies