Cell-mediated antisperm immunity in selected forms of male infertility.

Leukocyte migration inhibition test (LMT) with semipurified spermatozoal antigen was carried out in two groups: normal males (fertile subjects before vasectomy; normal volunteers) and selected forms of male infertility. The percent positivity to the LMT in all the pathological groups considered, compared with controls positivity in only one out of 40 cases and only at the highest concentrations of Ag, stresses the important role played by cell-mediated antisperm immunity in male infertility. No characteristic seminal pattern was observed in the patients with positive LMT, probably on account of the particular selection of the patients studied. Finally, no significant correlation between humoral and cell-mediated antisperm immunity was observed, at least not in these selected series of patients.