Acoustofluidic semen analysis for veterinary male bovine infertility assessment

Abstract

We demonstrate through the use of a unique acoustically driven microfluidic extensional rheometry platform (ADMiER) that a single measurement - i.e. the time required for a liquid bridge filament comprising a microlitre semen sample to thin and break up under elastocapillary stresses - constitutes an appropriate proxy for quantifying the motile sperm concentration of the sample in place of computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) and haemocytometer measurements used in conventional semen assessment - without the need to separately resolve for individual dependencies on each sperm parameter. By benchmarking diagnostic test accuracy results of blind random bull semen samples against OpenCASA measurements of these parameters, ADMiER is capable of predicting sperm quality to 93.7 % accuracy, 91.4 % sensitivity and 97.5 % specificity, with respect to commonly adopted veterinary industry minimum values for fertility. These results therefore highlight the potential diagnostic capability of the platform as a conceptual first step towards the development of a rapid, low-cost and portable alternative for veterinary male bovine fertility assessment.