Novel associations between specific sperm morphological defects and leukocytospermia.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between leukocyte concentrations in semen and sperm morphology in a group of infertile men and healthy fertile donors.


METHODS
A prospective clinical study.


METHODS
Male infertility clinic at a tertiary care teaching hospital and a reproductive medicine unit at a Women's Hospital in the United Kingdom.


METHODS
Fifty-six infertile men and 13 healthy fertile sperm donors (control).


METHODS
Standard semen analysis, seminal leukocyte concentration, and the assessment of sperm morphology and sperm deformity index (SDI), applying Tygerberg's strict criteria.


METHODS
Granulocyte concentrations in semen, percentages of different sperm morphological abnormalities, and SDI scores.


RESULTS
Leukocyte concentrations were statistically significantly and negatively correlated with the proportion of sperm with damaged acrosomes, cytoplasmic droplet, tail defects, and SDI scores with normal and borderline morphology. The percentage sperm motility was significantly and negatively correlated with leukocytic concentration in semen. However, the leukocytic concentration was not significantly correlated with sperm concentration.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study to report a significant positive correlation between leukocytospermia and sperm tail defects, acrosomal damage, and high SDI scores. These observations suggest that leukocytospermia is associated with compromised sperm structural integrity.
Aziz
Nabil
N
Reproduction Medicine Unit, Liverpool Women's Hospital, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Agarwal
Ashok
A
Lewis-Jones
Iwan
I
Sharma
Rakesh K
RK
Thomas
Anthony J
AJ
D000177:Acrosome / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D007964:Leukocytosis / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D012661:Semen / Q000166:cytology; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013082:Sperm Tail / Q000473:pathology; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology