COMPARISON OF THREE DIFFERENT METHODS FOR THE ANALYSIS OF RAM SPERM CONCENTRATION
Keywords:
ram sperm, concentration, flow cytometry, CASA, cell counterAbstract
Determination of sperm concentration is a critical component of semen analysis. Traditionally, the haemocytometer has been the standard tool for calibrating other techniques used to estimate sperm concentration, including photometry, Coulter counters, flow cytometry and computer-automated semen analysis (CASA). In the present study, fresh ram sperm samples (n = 7) from the Native Wallachian (NW) Slovak sheep breed were collected from one male by electro-ejaculation (EE) and analysed for sperm concentration using flow cytometer FACS Calibur, CASA Sperm VisionTM and using EVETM Automatic Cell Counter. Our results showed no significant (P ≥ 0.05) differences in the sperm concentration when analysed by these three methods. Thus, it is possible to use a cell counter to determine the approximate sperm concentration directly at the place of semen collection. This is a very practical finding since instruments such as flow cytometer or CASA are not suitable for transport to the place of semen collection.
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