title: Use of the Sperm Quality Analyzer (SQA II-C) for the assessment of dog sperm quality.
abstract: In the present study, an automated system for sperm analysis, the Sperm Quality Analyzer (SQA II-C), was tested as a potential tool for the assessment of dog sperm quality. In the first experiment the device displayed a good repeatability of measurements for semen of medium and high quality, as evidenced by a low coefficient of variance (CV; 0.08), whereas a high CV (0.46) was obtained for one dog with semen of inferior quality. In the second experiment, seven different sperm concentrations (25-300 x 106/ml), obtained by dilutions in Hepes-TALP medium were stored for 48 h at room temperature. A concentration dependent increase in sperm motility index (SMI) was shown, reaching a plateau at 150 x 106 spermatozoa/ml. For all sperm concentrations, the SMI value decreased significantly after 24 h, indicating the importance of sperm motility for SMI values. For sperm concentrations lower than 150x106/ml, highly significant correlations [r=0.80;p<0.05] were established between SMI values on one hand and sperm concentration, and semen parameters expressing the overall semen sample quality on the other hand (experiment 3) while non-significant or low correlations were found between SMI values and other individual sperm parameters. In experiment 4, significantly high correlations (r=0.97) were found between mean SMI values and post-thaw motility and progressive motility assessed subjectively. In conclusion, our study indicates that both motility and concentration largely influence SMI values and that the SQA II-C saturates at 150 x 106 fresh spermatozoa/ml. In our opinion, the SQA II-C may be a useful and objective device to assess the post-thaw motility of dog sperm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium. tom.rijsselaere@rug.ac.be
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rijsselaere
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Soom
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Kruif
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs / Q000502:physiology*; D005615:Freezing; D008297:Male; D011786:Quality Control; D012661:Semen; D012662:Semen Preservation / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors