Infertility of cattle caused by mycoplasmas.

Abstract

Mycoplasmas have been well established as pathogens of the bovine urogenital tract, and produce pathologic lesions resulting in infertility. Serologic examination of cattle with infertility problems with Mycoplasma bovigenitalium and Mycoplasma agalactiae subsp. bovis show a high incidence of positive reactors suggesting that mycoplasmas play an important role in bovine infertility. The similarities of pathologic lesions in the urogenital tract of cattle and women with infertility problems and the frequency of isolation of mycoplasmas from human females suggest closer examination for mycoplasmas in human infertility. Studies with bulls suggest that mycoplasmas as a cause of human male infertility should not be ignored.