Special Issue "Animal Sperm Microbiota"

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Physiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Miroslava Kačániová
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Science, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Nitra, Slovakia
Interests: gut microbiology of different animals; animal microbiology and physiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Animal sperm microbiota is comprised of the bacteria that are responsible for animal semen infections and may originate from the animal urinary tract or be sexually transmitted. In the past, it was predominantly characterized by classic microbial methodological approaches, but up to date, our knowledge about this is fairly simple. New questions in this field are very relevant mainly for the practical possibilities in the prevention of such animal infections or for the natural ways of conservation of animal sperm. The first group of answers will arise from the latest research activities in the field of natural bioactive substances and their defending mechanisms that meets a very promising effects in applicability as well as sustainability. The second group of answers is based on NGS methods and expands our knowledge of animal sperm microbiota per se.  

We invite original research papers and reviews that address new and interdisciplinary methods and approaches and cover a wide range of animal sperm microbiota characteristics as well as different natural protective bioactive substances that are promising in the practical handling with animal semen.  Additional topics may include the effects of application of different bioactive substances in different animal semen characteristics.

Prof. Miroslava Kačániová
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • animal sperm microbiota
  • bioactive substances
  • germplasm conservation
  • animal semen infection
  • protective effect

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
Identification of Bacterial Profiles and Their Interactions with Selected Quality, Oxidative, and Immunological Parameters of Turkey Semen
Animals 2021, 11(6), 1771; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061771 - 14 Jun 2021
Viewed by 1208
Abstract
This study focused on the identification of naturally occurring bacteria in the reproductive fluid and impact on the quality of ejaculates obtained from the turkey breed British United Turkeys (BUT) Big 6 (n = 60). We determined possible relationships between the bacterial load [...] Read more.
This study focused on the identification of naturally occurring bacteria in the reproductive fluid and impact on the quality of ejaculates obtained from the turkey breed British United Turkeys (BUT) Big 6 (n = 60). We determined possible relationships between the bacterial load and advanced sperm quality parameters that are important for effective artificial insemination and high fertility, as well as the concentration of selected antimicrobial proteins and pro-inflammatory markers of turkey semen. Sperm motility was assessed with computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA), while the membrane and acrosome integrity were examined with smearing and staining methods. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was quantified via luminometry, sperm DNA fragmentation was evaluated using the TUNEL assay, and the JC-1 assay was applied to evaluate the mitochondrial membrane potential. Cell lysates were prepared to investigate the extent of lipid and protein oxidation. Furthermore, levels of interleukins 1 and 6 (IL-1, IL-6), C-reactive protein, cathelicidin, and β-defensin were quantified in the seminal plasma using the ELISA method. The most dominant species identified by the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry was Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus lentus, and Citrobacter braakii. The bacterial load had a negative effect on the sperm motility (p < 0.001), as well as membrane (p < 0.05) and acrosome integrity (p < 0.01). A strong positive relationship between the bacterial load and DNA fragmentation (p < 0.001) was detected as well. Positive associations were recorded between the increasing presence of bacteria, ROS overgeneration (p < 0.001), and a subsequent oxidative damage to the proteins (p < 0.001) and lipids (p < 0.01). It was revealed that the antimicrobial peptides β-defensin (p < 0.001) and cathelicidin (p < 0.001) had a positive relationship with the motility. In contrast, pro-inflammatory markers, such as IL-1 (p < 0.001) and IL-6 (p < 0.001), had a negative impact on the motion behavior of turkey spermatozoa. Our results suggest that the semen quality may be notably affected by the bacterial quantity as well as quality. It seems that bacteriospermia is associated with inflammatory processes, oxidative stress, sperm structural deterioration, and a subsequent risk for a failed artificial insemination in turkey breeding. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Sperm Microbiota)
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