title: Immature germ cells in semen and their correlations with other semen parameters.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The significance of the presence of leukocytes and immature germ cells in semen and other parameters of semen is currently a subject of controversy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semen from 572 subfertile patients was analyzed according to WHO criteria and leukocytes as well as immature germ cells were assessed by identifying the round cells in semen by peroxidase staining. Microbiological investigation was carried out in cases with leukocyte counts of >1,000,000/ml.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found that as the concentration of spermatozoa decreased the rate of immature germ cells increased and this increase was accompanied by a decrease in motility and in the number of spermatozoa with normal morphology. As the sperm count increased, motility, number of spermatozoa with normal morphology and of immature germ cells also increased whereas an increase in sperm motility was accompanied by an increase in the percentage of spermatozoa with normal morphology. Microbiological investigations were negative in patients with semen leukocyte counts of >l,000,000/ml.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although it is possible to establish that the leukocyte and immature germ cell counts correlate with other parameters of semen, these correlations are not statistically significant. The most significant finding is that as the number of sperms decreases, the ratio of immature germ cells to total germ cells increases. While assessing immature germ cells instead of giving special attention to the number of immature germ cells in semen, the ratio of immature germ cells to total germ cells should be considered. The increase of leukocyte count in the semen of oligospermic patients may not always mean leukospermia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Vakif Gureba Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Caşkurlu
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Tasci
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Samasti
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bayraktar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cek
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sevin
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000473:pathology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000473:pathology; D012661:Semen / Q000166:cytology*; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*