Sero-prevalence of IgG and IgA AntispermAntibodies in Men with Infertility AttendingTwo Major Hospitals in Zaria, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Antisperm antibodies (ASA) have been implicated in some male with infertility especially those in which a definite cause could not be found. Also, some studies have attributed a causal relationship to the presence of antisperm antibodies and male infertility. Objective: This study investigated the prevalence of serum antisperm antibodies in men with infertility seen in two Hospitals in Zaria, Nigeria Materials and Methods: A total of 91 infertile men and 45 fertile men (as controls) were enrolled and follow up for 5 months. Blood samples and semen were collected, processed and analysed for serum IgA and IgG ASA using ELISA kits. Results: The study revealed the sero-prevalence of antisperm antibodies among infertile men in Zaria to be 57.1%, which varied significantly with that of the fertile male (11.1%). The prevalence of IgA and IgG antisperm antibodies were significantly higher in infertile male compared to fertile male (27.5% vs 4.4% for IgA ASA; 53.8% vs 8.9% for IgG ASA). Conclusion: The study demonstrated that IgA and IgG ASA are associated with male infertility in Zaria and as such screening for serum antisperm antibodies in the evaluation of men infertility is recommended in our environment.