The addition of ticarcillin-clavulanic acid to INRA 96 extender for stallion semen cooling.

This study assesses the impact of adding ticarcillin-clavulanic acid to a commonly used commercial extender, INRA 96, for cooling stallion semen. The study findings suggest that the addition of ticarcillin-clavulanic acid does not negatively affect sperm quality after cooling storage and all extender treatments effectively controlled bacterial growth.

Objective and Methodology of Research

• This study aimed to evaluate the effects of adding ticarcillin-clavulanic acid to a commonly used semen extender, INRA 96, on sperm function and antimicrobial effectiveness under different storage conditions. Despite being a common practice in the equine breeding industry within the United States, this process had not been critically evaluated until this study.
• 42 gel-free semen samples were taken from 14 mature Quarter Horse stallions and extended with INRA 96. These samples were then stored for 24 hours in an Equitainer II.
• The researchers analysed the effects of added ticarcillin-clavulanic acid and the extender storage procedures on sperm motion, sperm membrane integrity, and bacterial growth suppression using various statistical techniques such as analysis-of-variance and Chi-square statistical methods.

Research Findings

• The research found that the freezing and thawing of the modified or unmodified extenders before use resulted in a significant reduction in sperm motility and sperm membrane integrity, indicating a decrease in sperm quality.
• The addition of ticarcillin-clavulanic acid to the extender led to higher sperm velocity when the reconstituted antimicrobial was subjected to cold storage, particularly as compared with frozen storage.
• The presence of bacteria was evident in 67% of the semen samples, however the addition of ticarcillin-clavulanic acid to the INRA 96 extender was not significantly different from using INRA 96 alone in terms of inhibiting bacterial growth.

Conclusions

• From the data gathered, the researchers concluded that the addition of ticarcillin-clavulanic acid to the INRA 96 extender does not affect sperm quality following cooled storage. Furthermore, freezing and thawing the extender prior to use had a detrimental effect on the sperm quality.
• They also suggest that these findings could indicate that the INRA 96 extender should not be frozen and thawed before its usage. Furthermore, the addition of ticarcillin-clavulanic acid while not negatively impacting the sperm quality, does not significantly improve the inhibition of bacterial growth compared to the use of the INRA 96 extender alone.