Pre-cooling of boar semen before transport in a hot environment enhances biosafety

In a changing climate, the increase in temperature of boar semen doses during shipping to sow farms is a concern. Temperatures above the recommended storage range of 16–18°C for boar semen may compromise sperm quality due to bacterial growth and heat stress. The aim was to investigate whether coolin...

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Main Authors: Florian Reckinger, Anne-Marie Luther, Jutta Verspohl, Johann Lotz Artavia, Dagmar Waberski
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-07-01
Series:Frontiers in Microbiology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1611562/full
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author Florian Reckinger
Anne-Marie Luther
Jutta Verspohl
Johann Lotz Artavia
Dagmar Waberski
author_facet Florian Reckinger
Anne-Marie Luther
Jutta Verspohl
Johann Lotz Artavia
Dagmar Waberski
author_sort Florian Reckinger
collection DOAJ
description In a changing climate, the increase in temperature of boar semen doses during shipping to sow farms is a concern. Temperatures above the recommended storage range of 16–18°C for boar semen may compromise sperm quality due to bacterial growth and heat stress. The aim was to investigate whether cooling semen doses to 5°C prior to simulated transport at an environmental temperature of 30°C could inhibit bacterial growth and maintain sperm quality. Extended semen was treated in three variants: with and without pre-cooling to 5°C before simulated transport the next day at 30°C, and a control held stationary at 17°C. Transport vibration was simulated by shaking the semen doses for 6 h on an orbital shaker. Thereafter, all samples were stored at 17°C for 144 h. Pre-cooling efficiently delayed exponential microbial growth in samples spiked with resistant bacterial species. Although sperm motility was reduced by ~13 % in the pre-cooled samples, minimum quality requirements were fulfilled. Sperm membrane and mitochondrial membrane potential were not affected by the treatment. In conclusion, pre-cooling of semen before transport in a hot environment enhances biosafety of semen doses, while maintaining quality standards for use in artificial insemination.
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publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
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spelling doaj-art-8170d81f6eb946ad8c21d2ba5df9c00c2025-08-20T03:33:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2025-07-011610.3389/fmicb.2025.16115621611562Pre-cooling of boar semen before transport in a hot environment enhances biosafetyFlorian Reckinger0Anne-Marie Luther1Jutta Verspohl2Johann Lotz Artavia3Dagmar Waberski4Unit for Reproductive Medicine, Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, GermanyUnit for Reproductive Medicine, Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, GermanyInstitute for Microbiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, GermanyMejoramiento Porcino, Barva, Costa RicaUnit for Reproductive Medicine, Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, GermanyIn a changing climate, the increase in temperature of boar semen doses during shipping to sow farms is a concern. Temperatures above the recommended storage range of 16–18°C for boar semen may compromise sperm quality due to bacterial growth and heat stress. The aim was to investigate whether cooling semen doses to 5°C prior to simulated transport at an environmental temperature of 30°C could inhibit bacterial growth and maintain sperm quality. Extended semen was treated in three variants: with and without pre-cooling to 5°C before simulated transport the next day at 30°C, and a control held stationary at 17°C. Transport vibration was simulated by shaking the semen doses for 6 h on an orbital shaker. Thereafter, all samples were stored at 17°C for 144 h. Pre-cooling efficiently delayed exponential microbial growth in samples spiked with resistant bacterial species. Although sperm motility was reduced by ~13 % in the pre-cooled samples, minimum quality requirements were fulfilled. Sperm membrane and mitochondrial membrane potential were not affected by the treatment. In conclusion, pre-cooling of semen before transport in a hot environment enhances biosafety of semen doses, while maintaining quality standards for use in artificial insemination.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1611562/fullboar semenclimate changeresistant bacteriasemen transportvibration emissionsemen preservation
spellingShingle Florian Reckinger
Anne-Marie Luther
Jutta Verspohl
Johann Lotz Artavia
Dagmar Waberski
Pre-cooling of boar semen before transport in a hot environment enhances biosafety
Frontiers in Microbiology
boar semen
climate change
resistant bacteria
semen transport
vibration emission
semen preservation
title Pre-cooling of boar semen before transport in a hot environment enhances biosafety
title_full Pre-cooling of boar semen before transport in a hot environment enhances biosafety
title_fullStr Pre-cooling of boar semen before transport in a hot environment enhances biosafety
title_full_unstemmed Pre-cooling of boar semen before transport in a hot environment enhances biosafety
title_short Pre-cooling of boar semen before transport in a hot environment enhances biosafety
title_sort pre cooling of boar semen before transport in a hot environment enhances biosafety
topic boar semen
climate change
resistant bacteria
semen transport
vibration emission
semen preservation
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1611562/full
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AT annemarieluther precoolingofboarsemenbeforetransportinahotenvironmentenhancesbiosafety
AT juttaverspohl precoolingofboarsemenbeforetransportinahotenvironmentenhancesbiosafety
AT johannlotzartavia precoolingofboarsemenbeforetransportinahotenvironmentenhancesbiosafety
AT dagmarwaberski precoolingofboarsemenbeforetransportinahotenvironmentenhancesbiosafety