Immunological factors in human male infertility: immunopathological studies of testes

Biopsy specimens of human testes from 190 men of infertile couples were treated with fluorescein-labelled antibodies to demonstrate tissue-bound IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD, C3, and C4. In 24 cases (12.6%) autoantibodies and/or complement could be detected. Most often IgG bound to walls of seminiferous tubules was found. Three men had antibodies or complement in germinal cells. In one case each IgA immunofluorescence was found in spermatids or Leydig cells. The results suggest that autoantibodies to testicular antigens may be implicated in the pathogenesis of some cases of infertility in man.