Association of sexual experience with isolation of various bacteria in cases of ovine epididymitis.
Testicles from rams in flocks experiencing ram epididymitis in Idaho and eastern Oregon were cultured. Twenty-six breeding rams from 6 flocks were cultured and only Brucella ovis was isolated. Virgin rams (65) harbored numerous species of small fastidious gram-negative rods, including Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Haemophilus spp, Moraxella spp, and Pasteurella spp. Thus, there appeared to be 2 separate disease entities, dependent on sexual experience of the animal.
D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004823:Epididymitis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*