Culturing for Campylobacter sp. and Tritrichomonas fetus

Culturing Bulls

Campylobacter sp. and Tritrichomonas fetus transport medium is available from the laboratory. Request the medium at least a week before you anticipate collecting the samples.

The recommended procedure for collecting preputial specimens is as follows:

• Fix a 10 ml syringe to an insemination pipette by attaching a hypodermic needle to the syringe, inserting the needle into the lumen of the pipette, and slipping a short, snug-fitting piece of rubber tubing over the pipette and the hub of the needle
• Insert the pipette into the prepuce up to the fornix.
• Open the syringe to 7-8 ml and move the pipette 8 to 10 times back and forth 15-20 cm in the prepuce. Scrape the mucosa of the penis with the tip of the pipette as you move it back and forth.
• Release the plunger and withdraw the pipette. It is preferable to get the pipette at least 1/4 full of smegma.
• Expel 1/2 of the pipette content on to the top of the Trich medium.
• With a sterile syringe and needle, transfer up to 1 ml of broth to the campylobacter medium.
• Identify the tubes clearly.
• Ship the tubes to the laboratory by the quickest means available to ensure overnight delivery.

Allow at least ten days for results of the cultures. Remember that a single negative culture does not provide absolute assurance that the bull is free of tritrichomonas and campylobacter infections.

Culturing Cows

Neither Tritrichomonas fetus nor Campylobacter fetus is likely to persist in the bovine vagina for an extended period. Therefore, taking vaginal samples several months after the end of the breeding season (at pregnancy testing for instance) may not be successful.

Cows in estrus are often the best subjects for sampling.

The same instruments described for collecting preputial samples may be used for taking vaginal mucus samples.

It helps reduce contamination of the sample if the pipette is shielded with a small tube or vaginal speculum as it is passed forward to the external os of the cervix.

Try to draw the pipette at least 1/4 full of mucus.

The remaining procedure is the same as for preputial samples.