w3 semen Flashcards
what is semen made up of?
spermatozoa and seminal fluid (testicular fluid and gland secretions)
what is the scientific term for a low sperm count?
oligiozoospermia
- fewer than 15 million cells per ml
how many sperm cells would you expect to find in an healthy male
200-500 mil per 1.5-5ml
where is seminal fluid excreted from?
seminal vesicles
prostate
bulbourethral gland
what components are in seminal fluid
fructose
amino acids
acid phosphatase
prostate-specific antigen
what are the seminal vesicle components
citrate
fructose
amino acids
enzymes
flavins
phosphoric choline
prostaglandins
vitamin c
what are the components in the prostate gland
citric acid
fibrinolysis
acid phosphatase
prostate specific antigen
proteolytic enzymes
zinc
what are the components in the bulbourethral gland composition
galactose
mucus
pre-ejaculate
silica acid
what is the presumptive test for semen
acid phosphate test
how does the acid phosphatase test work
there should be high conc of AP in seminal fluid
the alpha naphthyl phosphate reacts with the AP to form orthodox-dianisidne which forms a purple coloured complex
purple = positive
what is the P30 test (presumptive)
P30 is present in semen at high conc
vaginal secretions contain p30 at low conc
p30 is a glycoprotein product in the prostate
antibodies against p30 produce a characteristic result
p30 test
place a cut area of stain or swab into a tube
set up a control sample using known semen stain
add about 0.5mL sterile distilled water
incubate at room temp for 30 mins
take 300microlitres of the supernatant liquid
apply to well of PSA plate
allow to flow along plate until you observe bands
florence iodine test
choline is present in seminal fluid
reacts with iodine = dark brown choline peroxide crystals
– false positives& negatives may occur
florence iodine test
choline is present in seminal fluid
reacts with iodine = dark brown choline peroxide crystals
– false positives& negatives may occur
confirmatory tests for spermatozoa
microscopy
what is the H&E stain
haematoxylin stains the nucleus and acrosome purple
eosin stains cytoplasm pink
christmas tree stain
nucleus fast red differentially stains the DNA containing sperm head bright red
PIC stains the tails green/blue/grey
what is TSI
time since intercourse
what are the factors that affect TSI findings
drainage
washing
degradation
sampling
medical history
how long can Acid phosphatase be detected for
vagina
anus
mouth
clothing
vagina = 2/3 days
anus = 1 day
mouth = less than 1 day
clothing = until washed
how long can spermatozoa be detected for?
vagina = 2-3 days
anus = up to 3 days
mouth = up to 24 hours
clothing = may persist after washing
what does the absence of semen mean?
- time since intercourse too long
- condom
- no ejaculation
- incident did not take place at all
what are the three layers in vaginal epithelium
parabasal cells
intermediate cells
superficial cells
what other cell types may be in vaginal material
blood cells
bacteria
yeast
describe pasrabasal cells
very round
high ratio of nuclear ; cytoplasm
may indicate vaginal trauma
intermediate cells
superficial cells
round and have a picnotic nucleus
what’s something to note about yeast cells
they can appear as epithelial cells
what is the lugols iodine test
detect glycogen rich stains
chocolate brown stain in cytoplasm under HPM
