Abstract
The present study was designed to clarify the effects of the treatment of cock spemratozoa with sperm agglutinin in vitro and the immunization of hens against spermatozoa on their fertility.
1) Sperm-agglutinating antibodies in the serum were produced by the intravenous injection of cock spermatozoa, but not by the intrauterine insemination twice a week for seven weeks. The injection of semen plasma did not produce the antibodies.
2) In the hens inseminated the sperm treated with isoimmune and heteroimmune sera containing sperm agglutinating antibodies, a detrimental effect on fertility was observed. When the antibody of immunesera was low (less than 1:8), no significant effect on fertility was seen in spite of agglutination in vitro. Complete suppression of fertility occured whenn the titer was 1:128 or higher.
3) In the hens repeatedly immunized with cock sperms, the duration of fertility was shortened in comparison with that of the untreated control and semen plasma injected birds.
