Erection, Ejaculation and copulation

What is a mature male cattle called?

• bull

What is a mature male sheep called

• ram

What is a mature male swine called

• boar

What is a mature male horse called

• stallion

What is a mature male bird called

• rooster

• cock

• tom

what is a castrated male cattle called

• steer

what is a castrated male sheep called

• wether

what is a castrated male swine called

• barrow

what is a castrated male horse called

• gelding

what is a castrated male bird called

• capon

what are the 3 parts of the male penis

1. crura - attached to ischiatic arch

2. body

3. glans

what are the 2 cavernous bodies in the penis?

• corpus cavernosum

• corpus spongiosum

what cavernous body is ossified in dogs?

• corpus cavernosum

where does the corpus spongiosum sit

• surrounds the penile part of the urethra

what does the corpus spongiosum do?

• enlarges to form glans penis

what surrounds the corpus cavernosum/spongiosum?

• tunical albuginea

name the 4 muscles of the penis

1. paired ischiocavernosus muscles

2. urethralis muscle

3. bulbospongiosus muscle

4. paired retractor penis muscles

Ischiocavernosus muscle;

1. where does it start

2. where does it insert

3. what’s its function

1. ischial arch

2. root of penis

3. forces blood into corpus cavernosum + corpus spongiosum

what is the function of the urethralis + bulbospongiosus muscle?

• transport semen

what is the function of the retractor penis muscles?

• allow retraction/protrusion of the penis

define libido

• behavioural manifestation of sexual interest

define intromission

• entrance of penis into vagina

define an erection

• firming and enlargement of penis

define emissino

• movement of accessory gland lfuid into male urethra to mix with sperm

define ejaculation

reflex expulsion of sperm from male reproductive tract

what are 5 stages of precopulatory behaviour

1. search for sexual partner

2. courtship

3. sexual arousal

4. erection

5. penile protrusion

what are 5 things required for an erection

1. elevated arterial blood inflow

2. dilation of corporal sinusoids

3. restricted venous outflow

4. elevated intra-penile pressure

5. relaxation of retractor penis muscle

what structure enables with the corpuses enables an erection?

• connective trabeculae that break the space into sinusoids

what are the sinusoidal trabeculae within the corpus tissue lined by?

• endothelium

what does the engorgement of cavernous tissue cause in an erection?

• blockage of venous return

what muscle is important in blood pressure increase during an erection?

• ischiocavernosus muscle

how do the ischiocavernosus muscles cause a blood pressure increase?

• contraction causes penile vein compression

• intermittent contractions cause pump action at base of penis

what arteries empty into the venous sinuses in an erection?

• helicine arteries

how do the helicine arteries act when the penis is flaccid?

• the lumen is obliterated by sympathetic tone of muscles in the vessel walls

what neurotransmitter causes vasoconstriction, therefore what part of the nervous system does not aid in erection formation?

• noradrenaline

  • sympathetic

what state does the nerous system need to be in in order to produce an erection?

• parasympathetic

how does the PSNS elicit an erection?

• they inhibit/relax the longitudinal muscle fibres in helicine arteries

• this causes blood to flow into central sinusoids, swell and compress oblique veins aiding further swelling

what aids an erection in the dog?

• ischiourethral muscles contract causing further compression of major veins, contributing to swelling

• female constrictor vestibulae muscles in the female also contribute

what vessel gets constricted in the dog during copulation, contributing to an erection and bulbus glandis swelling?

• internal pudenal vessels

what is the principle neurotransmitter that drives erectile process?

• nitric oxide

how does nitric oxide result affect an erection

• PSNS innervate helicine arteries

• nerve terminals release NO

• NO stimulates guanylate cyclase

• GTP gets converted into cGMP

• cGMP causes smooth muscle relaxation

• sinuses engorge

• pressure increases

• veins and venules get compressed

what does NO stimulate and what conversion does it cause?

1. guanylate cyclase

2. guanylate triphosphate (GTP) → cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)

what is cGMP broken down by, why is this useful?

1. PDE5

2. viagra blocks the action of this enzyme

what are the 3 stages of copulatory behaviour

• mounting

• intromission

• ejaculation

how is penile enlargement different in:

1. ruminant/pig

2. stallion/man

3. dog

1. lengthening of majority of penis

2. swelling of penile body + glans penis

3. swelling of glans penis mainly

what muscle relaxes for intromission?

• retractor penis muscle

what are 3 things that aid intromission

1. penile lengthening

2. engorgement

3. os penis

how is ejaculation brought about?

• glans penis is stimulated by P and temp

• internal pudenal nerve to lumbosacral region of spinal cord

• reflex innervationi of urethralis muscle + IcM

what are the 3 types of duration of ejaculation

1. rapid

2. long

3. prolonged

what is ejaculate volume comparable to?

• body mass

what are features of stallion ejaculate?

• sperm rich fraction in 3-4 squirts

• last 5-8 are lower pressure + less sperm

what are features of boar ejaculate

• first fraction - accessory fluids + few sperm

• second fraction = rich in spermatozoa

• final fraction = thick coagulum

what are features of dog ejaculate?

• pre-sperm fraction from prostate

• sperm rich fraction

• prostate derived fraction with greater force

what are the 3 stages of the canine tie?

1. first stage coitus

2. the turn

3. second stage coitus

what are the 3 stages of post copulatory behaviour

1. dismount

2. refractory period

3. memory

what causees a loss of erection

sympathetic tone:

• closure of helicine arteries

• blood flows out + erection slowly subsides

what is priaprism?

• semi-permanent erection

what is paraphimosis?

• penis won’t go back into prepuce

why do we see priaprism or paraphimosis?

• injury in the pelvic regon as the sympathetic supply

what animals have a musculocavernous penis?

• stallion

• dog

• tomcat

what animals have a fibroelastic penis

• bull

• ram

• boar

describe the copulation duration of the following species:

1. bull

2. stallion

3. ram

4. boar

5. dog

6. tomcat

1. rapid

2. long

3. rapid

4. prolonged

5. prolonged

6. rapid

what is satiation

• further stimuli will not cause immediate responsiveness

what is exhaustion

• no further sexual behaviour can be induced even with sufficient stimuli

describe the ejaculate volume in:

1. bull

2. stallion

3. ram

4. boar

5. dog

6. tomcat

1. 5-8ml

2. 60-100ml

3. 1ml

4. 150-250ml

5. 1-3ml up to 20ml total

6. 0.01-0.75 ml

what is the site of ejaculation in the following species:

1. bull

2. stallino

3. ram

4. boar

5. dog

6. tomcat

1. vagina

2. uterus

3. vagina

4. uterus

5. vagina

6. vagina

what is the site for AI in:

1. bull

2. stallion

3. ram

4. boar

5. dog

6. tomcat

1. uterus

2. uterus

3. fresh - cervix, frozen - uterus

4. uterus

5. fresh - vagina, frozen - uterus

6. fresh - vagina, frozen - uterus

what is in smegma

• cellular material + bacteria

what is smegma

• preputial secretions

what is the function of seminal plasma

1. dilution + sperm delivery

2. fructose as energy source

3. coagulation

4. buffer

5. prostaglandins + immune factors

what are 9 factors that affect semen composition

1. species

2. season of year

3. individuals within a species

4. method of collection

5. degree of excitement/teasing

6. frequency of ejaculation

7. nutrition

8. age

9. illness

what are 3 common assessments of semen quality

1. total sperm output

2. percentage of normal motility sperm

3. percentage of normal morphology sperm

how is total sperm output calculated

• volume + concentration

should we find microbiota on the penis and prepuce-

• yes

what is transmission of disease at mating known as?

• venereal transmissino

if venereal transmission does occur:

1. what type of disease may there be

2. who may be affected

3. what may it be associated with?

1. reproductive, generalised or both

2. within adult female, male, either or both

3. subsequent pregnancy failure

what are 5 venereal pathogens

1. equine herpesvirus 3

2. equine viral arteritis virus

3. klebsiella pneumonia

4. pseudomonas aeruginosa

5. taylorella equingentalis

what does equine herpesvirus 3 cause?

• penile, vulva and perineum lesions

what does equine viral arteritis virus cause?

• abortion

• fever

• watery eyes

• scrotal swelling

what does klebsiella pneumonia cause?

• associated with endometritis

  • female infertility

what does pseudomonas aeruginosa cause?

• associated with endometritis

• female infertility

what does taylorella equigenitalis cause?

• contagious equine metritis organism

what are 2 canine venereal pathogens

• brucella canis

• canine herpesvirus

what are 7 venereal pathgoens in cattle

1. bovine herpesvirus 1

2. brucella abortus

3. campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis

4. chlamydophila abortus

5. leptospira interrogans servovars

6. mycoplasma bovigenitalium

7. ureoplasma diversion

what are 3 sheep venereal pathogens

• brucella ovis

• brucella melitensis

  • chlamydophila abortus

what are 4 venereal pathogens in pigs

• brucella suis

• porcine reproductive and respiratory virus

• porcine herpesvirus 1

• porcine parvovirus

what infection do bulls carry for life that doesn’t affect semen quality?

• campylobacter foetus

what does campylobacter foetus cause in a pregnant dam? (cow)

• uterine infection

• devastating infertility

• early pregnancy loss

how do we detect campylobacter foetus in bulls?

• preputial washing detection

• smear, culture or fluorescent antibody testing

• vaginal mucous agglutination test of cows

how do we treat campylobacter foetus

• removal bulls

• potential antibiotics

• AI

  • vaccinate cow prior to breeding

what organism is common in cows + 80% of bulls?

• haemophilus somnus

what does haemophilus somnus cause in cows?

• vaginitis

• cervicitis

• endometritis

  • abortion

what does haemophilus somnus cause in bulls?

• normally asymptomatic

• could cause epididymitis and testicular degeneration