Anti-Sperm Antibodies: Risk Factors of Positive Serology among Infertile Men Patients in Kisangani-Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

Introduction: Antisperm antibodies (ASA) prevalence is high in Kisangani. ASA are one of the male factors of infertility that can reduce spermatozoa motility and cervical penetration or prevent acrosomal reaction and even alter embryo development. This study aims to determine the risk factors of ASA positivity among infertile men in Kisangani. Patient and Method: We conducted a case-control study during a period of 2 years in Kisangani on 111 men who consulted for conception and tested for ASA by ELISA. We did a simple pairing that concerned only the type of infertility. For a better balance between the number of cases and controls per stratum to provide better accuracy in the adjusted OR estimate, we performed a 1:1 match. Results: This study showed that businessmen [ORa = 5.0000(1.2452 − 20.0767)] and jobless [ORa = 5.8125(1.1477 − 29.4367)] were at risk of being positive for ASA. Violent blow to testicles [ORa = 6.7391(1.3455 − 33.7545)], cure of hernia [ORa = 4.3478(1.0722 − 17.6299)], Chlamydia infection [ORa = 4.7125(1.3405 − 16.5665)], leucospermia [ORa = 4.1429(1.0406 − 19.7155)] and presence of Staphylococcus aureus [ORa = 3.4444(0.6410 − 18.5082)] were associated to positive ASA. Conclusion: This study shows that factors that may lead to risky sexual behavior and physical or infectious trauma are important risk factors for ASA positivity. It is therefore necessary to search for them systematically during male infertility in order to guide the search for ASA.