Correlation between tests for the detecion of antibodies bound to the sperm surface

Direct tests for antisperm antibody detection are considered one of the first steps in the screening of a suspected male immunological infertility especially when one of the assisted fertilization protocols is being considered. With these techniques we can detect the presence of antisperm antibodies bound to the sperm surface. In this work we report the results of a laboratory correlation study carried out on the three direct techniques: IgG-MAR Test, the IgG-Latex Sperm MAR Test and the IgG-IgA-IgM-Immunobead Test. We analyzed data on 96 subjects, examined in our laboratory for a suspected antisperm antibody pathology. The three techniques were carried out in a blind experimental protocol by different technicians and the main results can be summarized as a strict correlation with regard to percentage and degree of positivity and a poor correlation with regard to the localization of the marker of the immune reaction (red blood cells, latex particles, polyacrylamide spherules).