Antisperm Autoantibodies–Immunobead Binding Test

Definition

• The immunobead binding test for antisperm antibodies identifies antibodies on sperm cells by immunoglobulin class and general specificity (head, midpiece, and tail) by means of their ability to agglutinate polyacrylamide beads coated with anti-Ig class " пїЅspecific antibodies.
• Reference range: ≤20% of sperm cells bound to immunobeads.

Use

• Confirmation of sperm autoimmunity, as suggested by the presence of agglutinated sperm and/or reduced motility in a semen analysis. Only the IgG and IgA classes of such antibodies are clinically significant.

Interpretation

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View Large Increased In Decreased In пїЅ пїЅ пїЅ Sperm autoimmunity (clinically significant if >50% sperm are coated and other evidence of impaired fertilizing capacity is present) пїЅ пїЅ пїЅ No lower limit defined

Limitations

• Minimum specimen volume for microscopic analysis is 0.1 mL.

Suggested Reading

1Bohring пїЅ пїЅC, Krause пїЅ пїЅW. Immune infertility: towards a better understanding of sperm (auto)-immunity. The value of proteomic analysis. Hum Reprod. 2003;18:915 " пїЅ924.