ANTISPERM ANTIBODY DETECTION .2. CLINICAL, BIOLOGICAL, AND STATISTICAL CORRELATION BETWEEN METHODS

PROBLEM: In clinical andrology, the detection of antisperm antibodies (ASA) is regarded as one of the most important steps in the study of m ale infertility. This practice is generally accepted even though there is still some disagreement about the true meaning of antisperm immuni ty, and there remains a good deal of controversy about the test regard ed as the most suitable for the detection of antibodies directed again st sperm antigens. international Workshops have tried to standardize u niversally accepted protocols. A panel of three or four methods is gen erally advised to provide a correct and complete screening of patients with antisperm immunity. The aim of the present paper is to report ou r studies on the correlation between direct methods (IBT, MAR test) an d indirect methods (gelatin agglutination test [GAT], and tray aggluti nation test [TAT]) and to establish whether biological models can expl ain the antibody tests results. An attempt was also made to establish a ''predictive threshold'' to explain even apparently discordant direc t and indirect results.