ANDROLOGY LABORATORY

The Andrology Laboratory was established to function as a quality control system for four Frozen Semen Bull Stations in A.P. The Andrology Laboratory was established by the Government of Andhra Pradesh with the assistance of Indo Swiss Project Andhra Pradesh (ISPA) in the year 1991.

The system of establishing and using Andrology Laboratory for monitoring the quality of bulls and semen is an unique arrangement. Well trained staff conducts the quality control tests and provide regular feed back to the FSBSs. The methodology and types of quality tests are modified from time to time so that the quality monitoring is up to date and relevant. At present the Andrology laboratory is conducting the following quality tests.

1. Sperm Morphology using stained as well as wet smear examination.
2. Live and dead sperm count.
3. Number of sperm in a dose of frozen semen (No. of sperm / straw)
4. Hypo Osmotic Swelling Test (HOST).
5. Bacterial load in Frozen Semen

In addition, the data generated at four FSBSs is analyzed and an annual report is compiled and circulated. The team of Andrology Lab also visits the FSBSs and monitors the bacterial load (CFU) of the laboratory. The services of the team are also utilized for andrological examination of the problem bulls at FSBSs. The Andrology lab also receives samples of FS collected from field centers for ascertaining the quality of semen as a result of storage and handling in the field. In such instances, the samples are checked for PTM and incubation test. Thus the Andrology laboratory is playing an important role of quality control of FS produced in the state.