Usefulness of hemocytometer as a counting chamber in a computer assisted sperm analyzer (CASA)

Several methods are used to determine sperm cell concentration, such as the haemocytometer, spectrophotometer, electronic cell counter and computer-assisted semen analysers (CASA). The utility of CASA systems has been limited due to the lack of characterization of individual systems and the absence of standardization among laboratories. The aims of this study were to: 1) validate and establish setup conditions for the CASA system utilizing the haemocytometer as a counting chamber, and 2) compare the different methods used for the determination of sperm cell concentration in bull semen. Two ejaculates were collected and the sperm cell concentration was determined using spectrophotometer and haemocytometer. For the Hamilton-Thorn method, the haemocytometer was used as a counting chamber. Sperm concentration was determined three times per ejaculate samples. A difference (P < 0.05) was found between all methods of measuring sperm cell concentration. However, no difference was found between the haemocytometer and CASA system when the haemocytometer was used as a counting chamber (P > 0.05) or between the haemocytometer count and the spectrophotometer. Based on the results of this study, we concluded that the haemocytometer can be used in computerized semen analysis systems as a substitute for the commercially available disposable counting chambers, therefore avoiding disadvantageous high costs and slower procedures.