A comparison of eight techniques for the evaluation of the auto-immune response to spermatozoa after vasectomy

Abstract

The tray agglutination test (TAT), gelatin agglutination test (GAT), slide agglutination test (SAT), tube-slide agglutination test (TSAT), sperm immobilization test (SIT), ATP-release cytotoxicity test (ARCT), indirect immunofluorescence technique (IFT) on methanol-fixed, intact spermatozoa, and a lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) were compared using a maximum of 329 blood samples taken from 47 men before and after vasectomy. The TAT, GAT, TSAT, SIT and ARCT discriminated between the pre- and post-vasectomy samples, and the sensitivity for sperm antibodies decreased in that order. The activity in the IFT and the LTT did not change significantly after vasectomy. In the TAT the mode of agglutination varied with serum dilution; the results for the 1:4 dilution showed the best agreement with the SAT results. Almost all TAT activity was detected by a combination of GAT and TSAT. Sperm agglutinins were present in all serum samples positive in the two complement-dependent tests, SIT and ARCT. If improved in sensitivity, the ARCT, which lacks the subjective elements of microscopy, might be suitable for the screening of male sera in clinical work. For the present, we recommend the TAT.