Preservation of Bull Semen at Sub-Zero Temperatures — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Preservation of Bull Semen at Sub-Zero Temperatures
John Stuart Mill · en
The alcohol of the bath and the ampules of semen are cooled by adding
chipped or ground dry ice in sufficient amounts to lower the temperature
of the bath 2 deg. C. (3.6 deg. F.) per minute from +5 deg. to -20 deg. C. From -20 deg.
down to -79 deg. C., the rate of cooling can be doubled (4 deg. C. or 7.2 deg. F.).
Electrical equipment that regulates the cooling rate to the desired
temperatures is available commercially, but the cost may be too high for
some small operations. The samples should be held at -79 deg. C. (-110 deg. F.)
until they are thawed. This can be done by using an alcohol bath and dry
ice or by special mechanical refrigerating equipment. At no time prior
to thawing should the samples be exposed to warmer temperatures.
=Thawing.= The ampules of frozen semen can be thawed by removing them
from the dry ice storage box and dropping them into a water bath at 5 deg.
C. (41 deg. F.). Thawing temperatures up to body temperature, 38 deg. C. (100 deg.
F.), can be used but extreme care must then be taken not to pass the
semen through a cold inseminating tube; for this would subject the sperm
to cold shock. The semen should be used for breeding within a few
minutes after thawing.
LITERATURE CITED
[1] DAVENPORT, C. B. Effect of chemical and physical agents upon
protoplasm. Macmillan and Co., New York. 1897.
[2] POLGE, C., and PARKES, A. S. Possibilities of long-term
storage of spermatozoa at low temperatures. Anim. Breeding Abs.
=20=:1-5. 1952.
[3] EMMENS, C. W., and BLACKSHAW, A. W. The low temperature
storage of ram, bull, and rabbit spermatozoa. Austral. Vet. Jour.
=26=:226. 1950.
[4] SMITH, AUDREY W. Effects of low temperatures on living cells
and tissues. In biological applications of freezing and drying.
Ed. R. J. C. Harris. Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1954.
[5] EMMENS, C. W., and BLACKSHAW, A. W. Artificial insemination.
Physiol. Rev. =36=:277-306. 1956.
[6] Proceedings of the National Association of Artificial
Breeders, 1953, 1954, and 1955.
[7] Proceedings of the American Dairy Science Association, 1953,
1954, and 1955. Published in the June issue of the Journal of
Dairy Science for each year.
[8] BARKER, C. A. V. Low temperature preservation of bovine
epididymal spermatozoa. Canad. Jour. Comp. Med. =18=:390-393.
1954.
[9] SAROFF, JACK, and MIXNER, J. P. The relationship of egg yolk
and glycerol content of diluters and glycerol equilibration time
to survival of bull spermatozoa after low temperature freezing.
Jour. Dairy Sci. =38=:292-297. 1955.
[10] CRAGLE, R G., MYERS, R. M., WAUGH, R. K., HUNTER, J. S., and
ANDERSON, R. L. The effects of various levels of sodium citrate,
glycerol, and equilibration time on survival of bovine
spermatozoa after storage at -79 deg. C. Jour. Dairy Sci.
=38=:508-514. 1955.