The aim of this study was to investigate the possible association between serum anti-Helicobacter pylori antibodies and anti-sperm antibodies (ASA) in patients with gastroduodenal diseases caused by H. pylori, infertile patients positive for ASA and healthy fertile blood donors as controls. Serum ASA were studied by sperm agglutination tests, sperm immobilization test and ELISA against sperm antigens (ELISAsp). Serum IgG anti-H. pylori antibodies were detected by ELISA (ELISAHp). The tests revealed significantly higher incidence of ASA in patients with gastroduodenal diseases compared to the controls (P < 0.0001). The median levels of both types of antibodies were significantly higher in infertile patients than in patients with upper gastroduodenal diseases in all tests applied (sperm agglutination and immobilization tests P < 0.0001; ELISAsp P D 0.006; ELISAHp, P D 0.0008). Significant linear correlation was found between anti-H. pylori antibodies and ASA detected by sperm immobilization test (r D 0.613, P D 0.05) in the group of patients with gastroduodenal disease, as well as a weak linear correlation was established between anti-H. pylori antibodies and ASA in ELISAsp (r D 0.275, P D 0.0051) in the same group. These results suggest that H. pylori infection may play a role in the induction of ASA.

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The object of the present study was to study if there are differences in the presence of CD4-like molecules on human ejaculated spermatozoa in fertile donors and infertile patients (with globozoospermia). Indirect and absorption enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and indirect immunofluorescence were applied. The enzymelinked immunosorbent assay data showed that monoclonal anti-human CD4-antibody recognizes an epitope common to the human spermatozoa with normal morphology and round-headed spermatozoa. Localization of the antigenic determinants, identified by anti-human CD4-monoclonal antibody, in the acrosomal region, including equatorial segment, postnuclear cap and tail was determined in normozoospermic samples. A positive reaction was found on the sperm head both in the acrosomal and postacrosomal region of some round-headed spermatozoa in the samples with globozoospermia. The tails of the normozoospermic spermatozoa and of some round-headed spermatozoa were weakly immunopositive. The results of the experiments carried out are evidence of heterogeneity in the presence of CD4-like antigen determinants on human spermatozoa. These data increase the information about the CD4-antigen characteristic of the spermatozoa from fertile donors and infertile patients.

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