**6. Conclusion**

tial to prevent the introduction of diseases. After acquisition and routinely on farms, the male considered as potential disease disseminator only will be introduced in the semen collect program after a quarantine period, during which he remains isolated and under observation in order to verify if there is any abnormality sign. After introduction of the male in the breeding herds, it should be daily observed for signs indicating clinical dis‐ ease. In the case of any abnormality in those animals, semen collections should be imme‐ diately interrupted. This method is highly effective for controlling the diseases that

Diseases that have high dissemination potential and can be transmitted via aerosols, such as PRRS and AD, as might cause high losses in the farms should be monitored through periodic serological tests. Another important factor to be considered is the hygiene in the farm. The cleaning and disinfection of the installations before the entry of the animals, be‐ sides respecting the sanitary break period, are essential to prevent the dissemination of the

The effective use of the antimicrobials to control contamination in diluents can act ef‐ fectively, as minimizing the action of the bacterial and fungal agents [82]. Currently, there are many antimicrobial agents commonly used in seminal diluents such as ami‐ nocyclitols, aminoglycosides, beta-lactams, lincosamides and macrolides. However, these agents do not prove to be totally effective against some of the disease causing agents [18]. In routine of the farm, the antibiotics are added to seminal portions, as expect‐ ing high level of accidental contamination in the attempt to reduce the proliferation

Although the availability of the studies including the use of the antiviral drugs to inhib‐ it the replication of the virus in the male's reproductive tract [83], the control of viral pathogens still needs to be better understood and will follow the pathway similarly to the one accomplished for bacteria [5]. Unlike the semen treatment with antibiotics, which can reduce or prevent the dissemination of venereal diseases caused by bacteria, the anti‐ viral agents used to prevent contamination of the semen are not adopted in the swine IA industry. Therefore, many countries have adopted other successful strategies in mainte‐ nance of the specific viral pathogen-free centers. In those centers, the main control strat‐ egies are based on animal monitoring program for specific viruses. The animals are serologically evaluated and the serologically positive animals are readily eliminated from

As previously mentioned, recently Blomqvist et al. [72] observed a reduction higher than 99% at PCV2 concentration in semen samples. This new technique has shown to be effective against several other viral agents, which are present in samples of the human semen and other domestic species' [84-87]. Thus, this method represents a promising alternative for the

Another possibility for controlling the dissemination of diseases would be the programs for vaccination against the main agents that can be carried by semen and lead to diseases in

present evident clinical signs.

130 Success in Artificial Insemination - Quality of Semen and Diagnostics Employed

pathogens.

of bacteria.

breeding herds [6].

control of viral contamination in the pigs' semen.

The increasing tendency of the international trade in pigs' embryos and gametes has been stimulating an intensive investigation of the disease transmission via semen and porcine embryos. There are numerous diseases, both bacterial and viral causes, which are linked to transmission via boars' semen. In particular, each agent provides a type of interaction with gametes and has a specific site of action, which hinders the establish‐ ment of specific control procedures. Thus, despite the promising researches, many con‐ clusive studies are required to ensure the innocuousness of the gametes from the infected animals. In addition, the effective and rapid diagnostic methods and effective control procedures should be developed and optimized in order to allow the access to swine farmers.
