w3 semen

Question 1

what is semen made up of?

Answer 1

spermatozoa and seminal fluid (testicular fluid and gland secretions)

Question 2

what is the scientific term for a low sperm count?

Answer 2

oligiozoospermia
- fewer than 15 million cells per ml

Question 3

how many sperm cells would you expect to find in an healthy male

Answer 3

200-500 mil per 1.5-5ml

Question 4

where is seminal fluid excreted from?

Answer 4

seminal vesicles
prostate
bulbourethral gland

Question 5

what components are in seminal fluid

Answer 5

fructose
amino acids
acid phosphatase
prostate-specific antigen

Question 6

what are the seminal vesicle components

Answer 6

citrate
fructose
amino acids
enzymes
flavins
phosphoric choline
prostaglandins
vitamin c

Question 7

what are the components in the prostate gland

Answer 7

citric acid
fibrinolysis
acid phosphatase
prostate specific antigen
proteolytic enzymes
zinc

Question 8

what are the components in the bulbourethral gland composition

Answer 8

galactose
mucus
pre-ejaculate
silica acid

Question 9

what is the presumptive test for semen

Answer 9

acid phosphate test

Question 10

how does the acid phosphatase test work

Answer 10

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

Question 11

what is the P30 test (presumptive)

Answer 11

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

Question 12

p30 test

Answer 12

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

Question 13

florence iodine test

Answer 13

choline is present in seminal fluid
reacts with iodine = dark brown choline peroxide crystals
– false positives& negatives may occur

Question 13

florence iodine test

Answer 13

choline is present in seminal fluid
reacts with iodine = dark brown choline peroxide crystals
– false positives& negatives may occur

Question 14

confirmatory tests for spermatozoa

Answer 14

microscopy

Question 15

what is the H&E stain

Answer 15

haematoxylin stains the nucleus and acrosome purple
eosin stains cytoplasm pink

Question 16

christmas tree stain

Answer 16

nucleus fast red differentially stains the DNA containing sperm head bright red
PIC stains the tails green/blue/grey

Question 17

what is TSI

Answer 17

time since intercourse

Question 18

what are the factors that affect TSI findings

Answer 18

drainage
washing
degradation
sampling
medical history

Question 19

how long can Acid phosphatase be detected for
vagina
anus
mouth
clothing

Answer 19

vagina = 2/3 days
anus = 1 day
mouth = less than 1 day
clothing = until washed

Question 20

how long can spermatozoa be detected for?

Answer 20

vagina = 2-3 days
anus = up to 3 days
mouth = up to 24 hours
clothing = may persist after washing

Question 21

what does the absence of semen mean?

Answer 21

• time since intercourse too long
• condom
• no ejaculation
• incident did not take place at all

Question 22

what are the three layers in vaginal epithelium

Answer 22

parabasal cells
intermediate cells
superficial cells

Question 23

what other cell types may be in vaginal material

Answer 23

blood cells
bacteria
yeast

Question 24

describe pasrabasal cells

Answer 24

very round
high ratio of nuclear ; cytoplasm
may indicate vaginal trauma

Question 25

intermediate cells

Question 26

superficial cells

Answer 26

round and have a picnotic nucleus

Question 27

what’s something to note about yeast cells

Answer 27

they can appear as epithelial cells

Question 28

what is the lugols iodine test

Answer 28

detect glycogen rich stains
chocolate brown stain in cytoplasm under HPM