Artificial vagina conformation and composition for semen collection

Abstract: Artificial vaginas (AVs) are tools used to collect semen from domestic and exotic species for artificial insemination and managed breeding programs. AVs differ widely in their shape, size, component parts, and material composition to fit species-specific applications. The quality of semen collected with AVs is inconsistent within and across species. This review examines peer-reviewed published literature on features of AVs used on non-human vertebrate taxa and assesses AV composition changes over time. Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were used to search for the term 'AV' from 1914 to 2024. After screening the abstracts and methods sections, 778 articles were included in the analysis. AVs were categorized based on AV material, shape, elasticity, and design augmentations. Over the past century, perissodactyls and artiodactyls have been the most studied orders for AV semen collection. Most AVs are made of rubber/latex or plastic, tube-shaped, and have a rigid outer shell and semi-elastic inner liner made of rubber/latex. AV materials, shapes, and elasticity have not changed substantially over time. Most commercially available AVs do not differ substantially from AVs developed originally for use with bulls and stallions, with few examples of species-specific AV compositions. As AVs are an increasingly important tool for semen collection, particularly among exotic species, future studies could consider how to reflect the genital variation of taxa within the shape, material, and design augmentations of AVs. Lay summary: AVs are devices used to collect semen from trained animals in human care for breeding programs. AVs have been developed for many bird and mammalian species. We examined the published literature to assess how AV compositions have changed across species since their initial use in 1914. We extracted data from the literature on AV materials, shapes, elasticities, and unique design features. Most AVs consisted of semi-elastic tube-shaped devices constructed of multiple materials. The most common design feature was a warmed bladder. AV compositions have not changed substantially over time or species, indicating opportunities for innovations such as incorporating anatomical features to improve semen quality.