Correlation of sperm granulomas and sperm autoantibodies in inbred rats

The relationship between sperm granulomas and antisperm antibodies is speculative. Some investigators believe that sperm granulomas are the result of humoral sensitization, whereas others doubt that they represent an immunologic phenomenon at all. We performed transabdominal bilateral vasectomies by ligation or transection in Brown Norway, Lewis, Fischer, and Sprague-Dawley rats. These strains are known to differ in incidence of antisperm antibody formation following vasectomy. Serum was obtained monthly for determination of antibodies by indirect immunofluroescence. Animals were killed at 6 months and examined for the presence of antisperm antibodies and sperm granulomas. Both antibodies and granulomas were found in 71% of Brown Norway rats. Granulomas were found in all rats of other strains, whereas the incidence of antibodies ranged from 25% to 50%. Thus a specific immunologic relationship between sperm granulomas and antisperm antibodies has not been confirmed.