ANTISPERM ANTIBODY DETECTION .1. METHODS AND STANDARD PROTOCOL

PROBLEM: Today, antisperm antibody (ASA) detection is one of the most important steps in the evaluation of male infertility. This practice i s generally accepted even though there is still some disagreement abou t the meaning of antisperm immunity and a good deal of controversy abo ut the test regarded as the most suitable for the detection of antibod ies directed against sperm antigens. International workshops have trie d to standardize universally accepted protocols. A panel of three or f our methods is generally advised to provide a correct and complete scr eening of patients with antisperm immunity. METHOD OF STUDY: This pape r reports on the results of a serum exchange workshop for the standard ization of the ASA detection in the sera carried out under the auspice s of the Italian Society of Endocrinology, which was used as reference laboratory. A careful description of the most widely used methods is reported and proposed as a standard protocol also on the basis of the results of the correlation studies carried out by our group is also re ported. CONCLUSIONS: If the proposed methods and procedures will be ac cepted by the members of the Alps-Adria Society for Immunology of Repr oduction, a Study Group for Sperm Antibody Testing, could start its ac tivity having the goal of reaching a consensus on methodology and carr ying out a European serum exchange workshop.