Complement-fixing anti-DNA antibodies were detected in a minority of sera of rabbits hyperimmunized with killed Gram-negative bacteria. The C'-fixing property of DNA was lost after DNase treatment. Preferential reactivity with denatured DNA was observed. The antisera reacted with DNA preparations derived from rabbit bone marrow and thymus, calf thymus, pneumococci, salmon sperm, and Escherichia...

BACKGROUND To study the prevalence of Chlamydia infection in women with primary and secondary unexplained infertility using ELISA technique for antibody detection and real time, fully automated PCR for antigen detection and to explore its association with circulating antisperm antibodies (ASA). METHODS A total of 50 women with unexplained infertility enrolled in this case control study and a ...

What does the clinician need from an andrology laboratory? The andrology laboratory is vital for the accurate diagnosis and treatment of male factor infertility, which is contributory in 50% of infertile couples. While there are some diagnostic tests of limited clinical utility, many tests can be useful in specific clinical settings. In this chapter, we will review the basic interpretation of t...

It is imperative to understand the molecular basis of various steps involved during fertilization. In the manuscript by Bianchi et al. a novel protein, Juno on egg membrane (oolemma) has been characterized that binds to sperm specific protein, Izumo-1. Monoclonal antibodies against Juno inhibited in vitro fertilization. Juno knock-out female mice failed to deliver litters on mating. It is rapid...

The objective of the present study was to identify sperm abnormalities in young male patients with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM). In 2005, 18 male JDM patients, diagnosed according to the criteria of Bohan and Peter, were followed at the Pediatric Rheumatology Unit and Rheumatology Division, of our Institution. Of the 18 males, 11 were pre-pubertal and 7 were post-pubertal. Two of 7 post-puber...

Chlamydia trachomatis infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases and sperm-associated antibody could impair fertility through various mechanisms. Both factors could be correlated to affect the fertility status of women. A retrospective case-control study was performed enrolling ninety (n=90) patients with primary or secondary infertility as the case group, in addition to ...

Female patients in reproductive age with systemic lupus erythematosus and fertility complications together are observed by rheumatologists, gynecologists, and reproductive immunologists. The paper notes the presence of autoantibodies to zona pellucida, to phospholipids (phosphatidyl serine, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl inositol, phosphatidyl glycerol, phosphatidic acid, annexin V, be...

The purpose of the present study was to identify a potential interference of bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1) with sperm-oocyte interactions during bovine in vitro fertilization. An inhibition of almost 70% of sperm-zona binding was observed when bovine cumulus-denuded oocytes were inseminated in the presence of 10(7) 50% tissue culture infective dose/ml BoHV-1. The inhibitory effect of BoHV-1 on ...

After the acrosome reaction, the PH-20 surface antigen of guinea pig sperm migrates from its original location on the posterior head surface to a new location on the inner acrosomal membrane (Myles, D.G., and P. Primakoff, 1984, J. Cell Biol., 99:1634-1641). We have isolated three monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) of the IgG1 subclass, PH-20, PH-21, and PH-22, that bind to the PH-20 antigen. The PH-...