FAILURE OF TEST YOLK BUFFER TO DECREASE ANTISPERM ANTIBODIES ON SPERM

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the suspension of sperm naturally bound or artificially coated with antisperm antibody ( ASA) in test yolk buffer (TYB) will reduce the percentage of sperm pos itive for ASA. Attempts were made to repeat a study performed by Lam e t al., in which they claimed a significant decrease in percentage of s perm positive for both IgA and IgG. Furthermore, the study attempted t o determine if this methodology would similarly reduce the percentage of sperm naturally bound with ASA. There was no reduction in postincub ation levels in percentage of sperm having attachment of IgA or IgG in either the sperm specimens naturally bound with ASA or donor sperm ar tificially coated with antibodies. Incubation in TYB does not appear t o be an effective method to reduce the percentage of sperm bound with ASA. Possibly, it could reduce the amount of ASA bound to each sperm, but this would have to be proven by other studies.