[Immunologic response against spermatozoa in the human genital tract]

Spermatozoa are immunogenic and may induce an immune response in reproductive compartments. There have been controversies concerning the effect of naturally existing antisperm antibodies on fertility of males and females. It is known, that men or women suffering from unexplained infertility have often antisperm antibodies in their urogenital secretions and/or serum. Systemic and local immune responses to sperm antigens differ between each other and they may differently affect the fertilisation process. Physiologically, females are protected from an immune response against "foreign", spermatozoal antigens. Nevertheless under local pathological conditions antisperm antibodies can be induced and may interfere with fertilisation.