THE USE OF A SEMINAL-VESICLE SPECIFIC PROTEIN (MHS-5 ANTIGEN) FOR DIAGNOSIS OF AGENESIS OF VAS-DEFERENS AND SEMINAL-VESICLES IN AZOOSPERMICMEN

Azoospermia is the cause of infertility in 8% of infertile male patien ts. Ten percent of those patients suffer from agenesis of the seminal vesicle (SV) and vas deferens (VD) agenesis. Currently, the diagnosis of SV and VD agenesis is based on low semen volume, low pH, and low fr uctose content of the seminal fluid of azoospermic men who have normal serum gonadotropins. In this study, an SV-specific sperm-coating anti gen, the MHS-5 antigen, was used as a marker for the presence of SVs. The SV-specific protein (SVSP), MHS-5, was present in the control grou p but was not found in any of the seven samples from azoospermic men w ith proven agenesis of SV and VD. Another semen component, the prostat e-specific antigen (PSA), whose presence in the semen is not influence d by the SV and VD agenesis, was found in both the study and the contr ol groups. its presence ruled out the possibility of azoospermia due t o ejaculatory duct obstruction. The absence of MHS-5 antigen in semina l fluid can be used as a tool for a reliable diagnosis of agenesis of SV and VD in azoospermic men.