Evaluation of membrane integrity of frozen/thawed deer spermatozoa: short communication

A simultaneous live/dead and acrosome staining, originally described for domestic mammals, was successfully applied on red deer (Cervus elaphus) and fallow deer (Dama dama) spermatozoa collected from the cauda epididymidis and vas deferens of shot stags. The staining is simple enough for routine application. Seven classes of spermatozoa were distinguished in the smears of frozen/thawed semen samples. Morphology, including cytoplasmic droplets, was evaluated as well. Percentage of live cells with intact acrosomes and with no other morphological aberrations might be a practical index of semen quality.