title: Intra- and inter-individual variability in human sperm concentration, motility and vitality assessment during a workshop involving ten laboratories.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to assess variability in the evaluation of human sperm concentration, motility and vitality. Technicians and biologists from 10 teams involved in multicentre studies on semen quality attended the same laboratory, each team using its own methods and equipment to analyse the same semen samples. Inter-individual variability was assessed from 17 fresh semen samples of varying quality. Intra-individual variability was assessed from pools of frozen samples for sperm concentration and motility and stained smears for vitality with three blind evaluations by sample and smear. The mean inter-individual coefficients of variation were 22.9, 21.8 and 17.5% for sperm concentration, motility and vitality respectively. There was no statistical difference among participants for sperm concentration assessment, but significant differences for both motility and vitality (both P: < 0.05). The mean intra-individual coefficients of variation were 15.8, 26.2 and 13.1% for sperm concentration, motility and vitality respectively, with marked differences between expert and novice participants: concentration 9.8% versus 28.0%; motility 22.8% versus 33.0%; and vitality 10.0% versus 19.3%. The present data confirm the need for external quality control schemes for diagnostic purposes, and indicate their utmost importance in multicentre studies on semen quality.
authors.affiliation: Service de Biologie de la Reproduction-CECOS, Hôpital Cochin, 75014 Paris, France. jacques.auger@cch.ap-hop-paris.fr
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Auger
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Eustache
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ducot
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Blandin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daudin
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Diaz
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Matribi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gony
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Keskes
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kolbezen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lamarte
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lornage
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nomal
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pitaval
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Virant-Klun
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spira
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jouannet
mesh_terms: D002470:Cell Survival; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*