title: Autoimmunity to sperm.
abstract: 1. Sperm-specific antigens behave immunologically more like foreign than self antigens. 2. Consequences of autoimmune response to testicular and/or sperm antigens can result in allergic orchitis, postvasoligation orchitis, and infertility. In these conditions, multiple pathogenetic mechanisms, including immune complexes and T-cell-mediated immune reaction, have been shown to be important. 3. Normally, factors that circumvent sperm autoimmune disease are likely to be multiple. Besides the mechanism of sperm-antigen sequestration, other controlling mechanisms also should be considered.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000276:immunology; D008026:Ligation; D008297:Male; D009920:Orchitis / Q000276:immunology; D011817:Rabbits; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000276:immunology*; D014649:Vas Deferens
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies