Antibodies to spermatozoa. VII humoral and cellular aspects of sperm inmunity and infertility.

The occurrence of sperm antibody in serum and cervical mucus of women from intertile couples in the serum of their male partners, as well as cellular immunity to sperm, has been studied by agglutination and immobilization techniques. For a total of about 260 couples, the tests on serum showed that 18% of the women and 8% of the men were positive by the Kibrick technique and that 15% of the women and 4% of the men were positive by the F-D technique. The women who were positive in their cervical mucus were 8% of the group by the K-agg (Kibrick agglutination) technique, 2% by the MIS-agg. (Microscale agglutination) technique, and 40% by the MIS-imm. (Microscale immobilization) tecnique. In considering all three techniques. 42% of a group of 132 women were positive. Cellular immunity to sperm, by the Migration Inhibition method, was positive in 18% and zero per cent of infertile and fertile women, respectively.