Mycoplasma bovigenitalium in the upper genital tract of bulls: spontaneous and induced infections.

Mycoplasma bovigenitalium, was isolated from vesicular gland secretions of a large proportion of clinically normal pubescent bulls. Infections established at this site in 1 to 2 year old bulls sometimes persisted for over a year, induced a local immune response, and were associated in some animals with unacceptably low motility of sperm following freezing of semen for artificial insemination. Inoculation of as few as 1000 cfu directly into the vesicular gland sufficed to establish infection but the naturally occurring syndrome could not be successfully reproduced by this method. Intratracheal injection of the organism produced infection of the upper genital tract in one of two bulls. The ELISA test was more sensitive than the IHA test in detection of antibodies to M. bovigenitalium in serum or vesicular secretions, but its usefulness was limited by extensive cross reactions with other Mycoplasma species.