Stallion Exam
Internal Reproductive Organs - A rectal exam to palpate internal reproductive tract organs is rarely done in stallions. The danger of a rectal tear is always possible so this procedure is usually only done if there is some worry of a venereal disease or abnormality such as blood in ejaculates.
Exam For Venereal Disease - A variety of venereal diseases can be passed on by a stallion. Past exposure to these should be questioned when gathering the history on the stallion. The organisms can include bacteria, viruses and protozoa. Fungi, chlamydias, mycoplasmas and ureaplasmas may also play a role but the extent is unknown. Potential organisms are:
- Bacteria - Taylorella equigenitalis is the most consistent
bacterium that causes venereal disease (CEM; contagious equine metritis) from the stallion. It is isloated
from cultures of swabs taken on the penis or inside the urethra. These
cultures could turn up other bacteria such as Klebsiella pneumoniae or Psuedomonas aeruginosa but these are less common in the stallion.
- Viruses - Viral disease may be detected as sores
on the penis, acute phase of diesease in the stallion or presence of
serum (blood) tests from negative mares that show they have become infected
by the stallion after breeding. Potential organisms are Equine Herpesvirus-3
and togavirus that induces equine viral arteritis (EVA).
- Protozoa - In the U.S. this is uncommon but the one protozoal diseseas is caused by Trypanosoma equiderdum. It is diagnosed from culture of swabs from the urethra or semen.
