The effect of freezing on sperm-associated immunoglobulin G (IgG)*†*Presented in part at the Third Annual Meeting of the American Society of Andrology, March 22 to 25, 1983, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.†Supported in part by NIH grant HD 15117

Comparison of the direct radiolabeled antiglobulin assay and the direct immunobead binding test for detection of sperm-associated antibodies

Thirty-seven semen samples were assayed for sperm-associated IgG and IgA using the immunobead test. Portions of these sperm samples were sent for testing with a direct radiolabeled antiglobulin assay and the testing results were compared. If the results of the immunobead test when only tail-tip bead binding was noted are regarded as negative, there was close correlation between the two assay methodologies.

Antibody binding to greater than 50% of sperm at the tail tip does not impair male fertility

A prospective study was conducted with a man displaying 57.5 +/- 13.4% tail tip-directed ASAs to relate results of in vitro tests with attempts to conceive. Tests of seminal quality, penetration of zona-free hamster oocytes, and in vitro penetration of preovulatory cervical mucus were normal. A pregnancy was achieved by natural intercourse during the first cycle in which conception was attempted. More than 50% of sperm were bound by ASAs during the cycle in which conception occurred. These results suggest that ASA binding to certain regions of the sperm surface have no adverse effect on fertility. Therefore, when diagnosing the fertility status of males with ASAs, it appears prudent to use tests that permit determination of the regional distribution of ASA binding to sperm, rather than tests that only permit determination of the presence or absence of ASAs in test fluids.