Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41157641›Full record

ArticleViruses2025

Semen Quality in Rams Is Severely but Temporarily Affected by Bluetongue Virus Serotype 3 Infection.

Ludovic Martinelle, Sophie Egyptien, Lola Dechene, Marielle Somville, Frédéric Derkenne, Stéfan Deleuze

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Viruses, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Ludovic MartinelleCARE-FEPEX Experimental Station, Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health (FARAH), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0002-7875-8722
Sophie EgyptienEquine Theriogenology, Equine Clinical Sciences Department, Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health (FARAH), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0001-8706-1049
Lola DecheneCARE-FEPEX Experimental Station, Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health (FARAH), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium.
Marielle SomvilleEquine Theriogenology, Equine Clinical Sciences Department, Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health (FARAH), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium.
Frédéric DerkenneCabinet Vétérinaire de Julémont, 4650 Herve, Belgium.
Stéfan DeleuzeEquine Theriogenology, Equine Clinical Sciences Department, Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health (FARAH), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0003-3076-5779

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) emerged in northwestern Europe in 2023-2024, raising concerns about its potential reproductive impact on rams, similar to previous outbreaks with BTV-8. This study assessed the effect of natural BTV-3 infection on the semen quality of 49 rams in Belgium using two cross-sectional sampling sessions during the 2024 outbreak. Semen and blood were tested for BTV RNA via RT-qPCR, and a composite semen quality score (SQS) was established based on key sperm parameters. On the first sampling date, 75% of rams were viremic, and 19% presented azoospermia. Rams with BTV RNA detectable in both semen and blood had significantly lower SQS and sperm concentrations than those with viral RNA in blood only or none at all. By the second sampling, 53 days later, semen quality had improved markedly, indicating a transient effect of infection. These findings confirm that BTV-3 can severely but temporarily impair ram fertility, particularly when viral replication occurs in the reproductive tract. Given the seasonal overlap between vector activity and breeding programs, these results underscore the importance of integrating reproductive health monitoring into outbreak response strategies.

Indexed as

BluetongueBluetongue virusSemenSemen AnalysisAnimalsBelgiumCross-Sectional StudiesDisease OutbreaksMaleRNA, ViralSerogroupSheepRNA, ViralBluetongue virusBTV-3ram fertilityreproductive virologysemen quality

Identifiers

PMID41157641
PMCPMC12567826

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.