[A quantitative ELISA for the measurement of class-specific anti-spermatozoa antibodies]

A class-specific ELISA for the quantitative determination of anti-spermatozoal antibodies is described. The intra-assay variation at the lowest standard concentration for anti-spermatozoal-IgG- and anti-spermatozoal-IgA-specific measurements was 6%. The test possessed an inter-assay variation at the lowest standard concentration in case of the anti-spermatozoal-IgG-determination of 9% and for anti-spermatozoal-IgA-determinations of 8.5%. With this ELISA 5.7% anti-spermatozoal-IgAs and 11.3% anti-spermatozoal-IgGs were identified in sera of a group of infertile females (N = 53). A collective of anti-spermatozoal antibody positive sera, identified by an anti-spermatozoal antibody ELISA measuring total immunoglobulins was subjected to an investigation with the class-specific ELISA. The proportion of anti-spermatozoal-IgAs (54%) was significantly lower than that of anti-spermatozoal-IgAs (78%). Interestingly, no correlation was observed between the parameters IgA and IgG in antispermatozoal positive sera (r = 0.139).