THE POTENTIAL TRANSMISSION OF INFECTIOUS AGENTS BY SEMEN PACKAGING DURING STORAGE FOR ARTIFICIAL-INSEMINATION

Plastic straws, of a type widely used for semen cryopreservation, seal ed using three different methods, (PVA powder, plastic spheres and pla sticine modelling clay) were tested for leakage of low molecular weigh t dye (methylene blue), bacteria (Escherichia coli) and virus (Newcast le disease virus). Leakage was found to be dependent on the method use d to fill the straws. Straws filled using a traditional 'dip and wipe' method and sealed with PVA powder demonstrated a significant degree o f methylene blue leakage (0.0269% of the total straw contents) probabl y associated with contamination of the powder sealing plug. Straws fil led using an aseptic filling technique showed no detectable leakage of any agent with any of the sealing methods. This study highlights the need to establish good-practice guidelines for the packaging of semen collected for freezing and future Al from non-domestic livestock where disease-free status cannot be guaranteed and unsophisticated technolo gy is used. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.