title: Frequency of microdeletions in the azoospermia factor region of the Y-chromosome of New Zealand men.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the frequency of microdeletions in the azoospermic factor (AZF) genes on the Y-chromosome of New Zealand men attending the Fertility Centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  World Health Organisation criteria were used to classify men as normospermic, oligozoospermic, severely oligozoospermic, and azoospermic. Microdeletions were detected from DNA of semen samples by the sequence-tagged site polymerase chain reaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Microdeletions were detected in 20% (3/15) of azoospermic men, 4% (2/50) of severely oligozoospermic men, 3.2% (2/62) of oligozoospermic men, and 0.7% (1/141) normospermic men. One azoospermic man had multiple non-contiguous deletions. Overall, 5.5% of infertile men had at least one microdeletion in the long arm of the Y-chromosome. One severely oligozoospermic man and one oligozoospermic man had produced unassisted pregnancies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  New Zealand men attending a Christchurch fertility centre have a similar frequency of microdeletions in the Y-chromosome to other populations. Azoospermic men have a higher frequency of microdeletions than men with less severe spermatogenic failure. Men with microdeletions can have reduced fertility, but are not necessarily sterile.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: F Y
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Sin
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Benny
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Sin
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics*; D005820:Genetic Testing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D016324:Sequence Tagged Sites; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility; D014998:Y Chromosome / Q000235:genetics*