Abstract
Brucella ovis causes epididymitis and infertility in rams, however, the presence of antisperm antibodies in blood sera, associated with the infection has been little studied. The objective of this investigation was to show the presence of antisperm antibodies in the blood sera of 90 seropositive rams, naturally infected with B. ovis. Additionally, the presence of the antisperm IgA and IgG isotypes was evaluated by ELISA in 90 blood sera from 30 adult ewes, 30 four-month-old female lambs and 30 clinically healthy adult rams, seronegative to B. ovis used as controls. The molecular weight of the antigenic proteins of the sperm antigen was measured by immunoblotting. Blood sera from naturally infected rams showed a higher concentration of IgA and IgG antisperm antibodies compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). The molecular weights of the antigenic proteins were 14.6 and 17.8 kDa respectively. The presence of antisperm antibodies in rams naturally infected with B. ovis could be associated with the immune response against the bacteria, with the consequent infertility of the infected animals.
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