Aim:This study was conducted to determine the effect of seasonal variations on testosterone serum concentration, body weight, scrotal circumference, and some sperm parameters in rams living in a semi-arid region of eastern part of Algeria.Materials and Methods:Blood samples were taken monthly from eight Ouled Djellal rams, aged between 3 and 4 years, in the Technical Institute of Breeding “ITELV” located at Ain M’lila City. Sperm were collected by an electro-ejaculator once a month for 1 year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter: 3 times/season).Results:Mean values of volume, mass motility, live sperm, and scrotal circumference were higher during spring (p<0.05) with 1.23±0.26 mL, 3.39±1.07, 79.16±15.82%, and 36.29±1.91 cm, respectively; whereas, the sperm concentration was higher during autumn with 1.19±0.56×109 spz/ml compared to 0.46±0.13×109 spz/mL to spring. The season influenced significantly the percentage of abnormal sperm (p<0.05), especially during winter (6.47±2.12%), but had no influence on the weight of rams. Seasonal hormonal activity was high with 4.89±2.06 ng/mL and 3.09±1.35 ng/mL of testosterone in mating seasons (spring and autumn, respectively), knowing that the sexual season is not marked too much in these latitude.Conclusion:We can conclude that testosterone concentration is strongly correlated with the scrotal circumference and that the season has a significant influence on spermatic parameters, and that despite the large variations in sperm production, the rams can be used throughout the year.

Aim: The present study was undertaken to know the seroprevalence of Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) and Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) in broiler and layer chickens in the area of Batna, eastern Algeria. This investigation was conducted during the period from 2008 to 2011. Materials and Methods: A total of 505 sera samples were collected and tested by serum plate agglutination (SPA) test using Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma synoviae antigens (Soleil Diagnostic) to detect the presence of antibodies against MS and MG. Results: The overall prevalence of MS and MG infection in the 27 flocks visited in this investigation were recorded as 66.33% and 69.90% respectively. Seroprevalence of MG infection was found significantly (p<0.05) higher during winter season (61.48%) than in summer (47.74%) while MS infection is more dominant in summer (91.25% against 46.69%). Again this was recorded in different age groups, with significantly higher occurrence in young compared to adult with 85.14% in layer hens and 90.73% in broiler chickens. On the other hand, the seroprevalence of MG and MS infection was found little (p>0.05) higher in large flocks (76.97%) in comparison to small flocks (63.63%). The highest prevalence (76.59%) of mycoplasmal infection in layer hens was found in Lohman strain. Conclusion: It has been found that MG and MS infections are still important disease problems in poultry farms in Algeria.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum infection is commonly designated as chronic respiratory disease in chickens. It is the most pathogenic avian Mycoplasma; however, strains may differ markedly in virulence. In this study, the technical performance of culture, a commercially available polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and rapid plate agglutination (SPA) test were compared for the detection of Mycoplasma gallisepticum infections from 18 birds. Results showed a high percentage of positive samples of both culture and PCR tests (72.22% and 63.63% respectively). SPA showed a less positive rate (61.11%). the utilization of SPA towards MG diagnosis is limited by its reduced specificity and the high incidence of false positives Contradictory to other studies, bacteriology was more sensitive than PCR. Several studies support strongly the use of the PCR as a technique for the diagnosis of Mycoplasma infections since this technique is more sensitive than serology and culture. This study showed that it is not advisable to rely completely on one test (system) only.

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