Absence of acrosome reaction in polyzoospermia.

Using the recently described triple-stain technique the time course of the acrosome reaction in a group of patients with polyzoospermia was evaluated and was compared to that of a group of normozoospermic men and a group of men with proven fertility. Polyzoospermia (greater than 250 Mill. spermatozoa/ml) has been repeatedly associated with subfertility. This investigation shows that most of the spermatozoa of polyzoospermic men do not undergo the acrosome reaction in vitro. This renders the spermatozoa incapable to penetrate the outer investments of the oocyte which might be one of the reasons for the reduced fertility observed in this patient group.