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Attempts to simplify the spinnbarkeit test for clover disease in ewes
THERIOGENOLOGY
ATTEMPTS TO SIMPLIFY THE SPINNBARKEIT TEST FOR CLOVER DISEASE IN EWES R.J. Rodgers, Ainslie Brown, J.K. Findlay, I.A. Gumming* and S. Walker** Reproduction Research Section, University of Melbourne and *Department of Agriculture, Victoria, Werribee 3030, and **Department of Agriculture, South Australia, Adelaide, 5000. Attempts were made to simplify the spinnbarkeit test for clover disease (1) by pretreatment with steroids to obviate the necessity to sample vaginal mucus from ewes at oestrus. During the anoestrous season ewes were treated with progesterone implants (Sil-Estrus,Abbott) for two weeks. Oestradiol-176 (E2; 0 to 20 up) was injected (i.v.) 10 hr after removal of the implants. Mucus was collected from the anterior vagina at 8.5, 13.5, 18.5, 23.5 and 28.5 hr after E2 by aspirating with 0.5 ml Artificial Insemination Sheaths and the spinnbarkeit measured immediately. During the breeding season a similar procedure was adopted except HCG (1500 i.u. Chorulon, Intervet) was administered 1 hr after implant removal to suppress endogenous oestrogen production. At Werribee 6 year old fertile Merino ewes (Wl), which had grazed oestrogenic clover at Esperance, Western Australia, were compared with infertile ewes (W2) from a property in Victoria (2), and fertile control ewes (W3) from Bendigo, Victoria. At Kangaroo Island, South Australia, 5 l/2 year old fertile Collinsville Merino ewes (KI3) which had grazed only Mount Barker and Bacchus Marsh clover pastures were compared with 6 l/2 year old Bungaree Merino ewes which had grazed dominant Yarloop pastures for five years (KIl had >3 lambs and K12
Flock 1 2 3
Breeding season Anoestrous season Werribee(W) Kangaroo Island(K1) Werribee (W) Kangaroo Island (KI)
6.?17)58‘?(18) 3.;8) l?Oa(l9) 4.8;16) tz.7e(18) 3.;1?,)35%i(l7) 7.6(12)41.4(17) 2.6(9) 17.4a(19) 9.sdg10) 22.1f(17) 3.2(12)51.4h (14) 9.4(9) 41.0(15) - (0) Ob(19) 5.3c (2) 5.3g(17) 6.4 (9)25.3' (16)
Means within columns with different superscripts are different Pco.05. The spinnbarkeit of mucus from W2 ewes was higher (P
OCTOBER
1977 VOL. 8 NO. 4
185
ATTEMPTS TO SIMPLIFY THE SPINNBARKEIT TEST FOR CLOVER DISEASE IN EWES R.J. Rodgers, Ainslie Brown, J.K. Findlay, I.A. Gumming* and S. Walker** Reproduction Research Section, University of Melbourne and *Department of Agriculture, Victoria, Werribee 3030, and **Department of Agriculture, South Australia, Adelaide, 5000. Attempts were made to simplify the spinnbarkeit test for clover disease (1) by pretreatment with steroids to obviate the necessity to sample vaginal mucus from ewes at oestrus. During the anoestrous season ewes were treated with progesterone implants (Sil-Estrus,Abbott) for two weeks. Oestradiol-176 (E2; 0 to 20 up) was injected (i.v.) 10 hr after removal of the implants. Mucus was collected from the anterior vagina at 8.5, 13.5, 18.5, 23.5 and 28.5 hr after E2 by aspirating with 0.5 ml Artificial Insemination Sheaths and the spinnbarkeit measured immediately. During the breeding season a similar procedure was adopted except HCG (1500 i.u. Chorulon, Intervet) was administered 1 hr after implant removal to suppress endogenous oestrogen production. At Werribee 6 year old fertile Merino ewes (Wl), which had grazed oestrogenic clover at Esperance, Western Australia, were compared with infertile ewes (W2) from a property in Victoria (2), and fertile control ewes (W3) from Bendigo, Victoria. At Kangaroo Island, South Australia, 5 l/2 year old fertile Collinsville Merino ewes (KI3) which had grazed only Mount Barker and Bacchus Marsh clover pastures were compared with 6 l/2 year old Bungaree Merino ewes which had grazed dominant Yarloop pastures for five years (KIl had >3 lambs and K12
Flock 1 2 3
Breeding season Anoestrous season Werribee(W) Kangaroo Island(K1) Werribee (W) Kangaroo Island (KI)
6.?17)58‘?(18) 3.;8) l?Oa(l9) 4.8;16) tz.7e(18) 3.;1?,)35%i(l7) 7.6(12)41.4(17) 2.6(9) 17.4a(19) 9.sdg10) 22.1f(17) 3.2(12)51.4h (14) 9.4(9) 41.0(15) - (0) Ob(19) 5.3c (2) 5.3g(17) 6.4 (9)25.3' (16)
Means within columns with different superscripts are different Pco.05. The spinnbarkeit of mucus from W2 ewes was higher (P
OCTOBER
1977 VOL. 8 NO. 4
185