Use of Spermac® Staining Technique in the Determination of Acrosomal Defects in Cat Semen

Authors: ALPER BARAN, BAŞAK EVRİM ŞAHİN, MİTHAT EVECEN, KAMBER DEMİR, İ. KAMURAN İLERİ

Abstract: The types and rates of acrosome and other (head, mid-piece and tail) abnormal spermatozoon types were determined by the Spermac® staining technique. Semen from 5 stray tom cats under the same management conditions was used. Semen collection was performed under general anesthesia by electro-ejaculator once a week for 5 weeks. After ejaculation the semen was diluted by 100 µl of 0.9% NaCl solution and stained with Spermac® stain for morphological evaluation. The morphological criteria were acrosome, other (head, mid-piece and tail) and total morphological defect rates, and were 9.20 ± 2.55%, 9.20 ± 3.49% and 18.40 ± 4.79%, respectively. It was concluded at the end of the study that the Spermac® staining technique could provide a detailed observation of cat spermatozoa, especially the acrosomal region, and could be employed in the determination of acrosomal defects.

Keywords: Cat, spermatozoa, morphology, Spermac® stain, defect

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