title: Effectiveness of the sperm quality analyzer (SQA-Vp) for porcine semen analysis.
abstract: The Sperm Quality Analyzer (SQA-Vp) was evaluated for assessing concentration and motility of porcine semen. Both fresh and diluted semen from 50 different boars from a commercial artificial insemination (AI) centre were investigated. For the fresh ejaculate, the concentration obtained with SQA-Vp was compared with a photometer and a haemocytometer. For the diluted samples, the concentration and motility were compared with computer assisted semen analysis (CASA) and visual sperm analysis. The agreement between methods was studied with Bland-Altman plots and the repeatability with coefficient of variation (CV) as well as Bland-Altman plots. The sperm concentration (x10(6)/ml) obtained with SQA-Vp (379.3 ± 134.9) for fresh ejaculates agreed well with concentration by the photometer (447.2 ± 154.2; difference= -67.9 x 10(6)/ml; difference + 2SD = 55.3 x 10(6)/ml; difference - 2SD = -191.1 x 10(6)/ml) and with the haemocytometer (332.8 ± 141.11; d = 92.8; d + 2SD = 448.6; d - 2SD = -263). For diluted semen, the agreement between the concentration (x10(6)/ml) assessed with SQA-Vp (20.4 ± 4.3) was good with CASA (23.2 ± 5.8; d = -2.8; d + 2SD = 6.2; d - 2 SD = -11.8) but poor with the haemocytometer (18.8 ± 5.0; d = 1.6; d+ 2SD = 12.2; d - 2SD = -9). The % motile spermatozoa assessed by SQA-Vp (65.8 ± 10.0) in diluted semen agreed well with CASA (72.2 ± 13.7; d = -6.4; d+ 2SD = 20; d - 2SD = -32.8) and with visual assessment (64.1 ± 11.6; d = 1.7; d+ 2SD = 30.9; d - 2SD = -27.5). The SQA-Vp showed a good repeatability (CV; repeatability coefficient) for measuring the concentration of both fresh (3.9%; d = 10.7; d + 2SD = 30.9; d - 2SD = -9.5) and diluted semen (2.6%; d = 1.0; d + 2SD = 2.38; d - 2SD = -0.42) and for motility (3.2%; d = 0.9; d + 2SD = 8.5; d - 2SD = -6.7). The mean SQA-Vp values fell between the other methods' results for both fresh and diluted semen. Moreover the repeatability was acceptable. Therefore SQA-Vp can be used as a valid device for sperm quality analysis in pigs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Reproduction and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. alfonso.lopezrodriguez@ugent.be
authors.forename: Alfonso López
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rijsselaere
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bijttebier
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vyt
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Soom
authors.forename: Dominiek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055101:Semen Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000662:veterinary*; D013076:Sperm Count / Q000662:veterinary; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013552:Swine