Reproduction and immune factors in the male

Sperm antigenicity is demonstrated by the formation of sperm antibodies following vasectomy and by the possible occurrence of hypersensitivity reactions in women to seminal fluid. It may be that immunosuppressor factors in seminal plasma, as well as certain placental hormones, could explain the fact that sperm are not rejected immunologically in the female genital tract. The role of these different immune factors in male infertility and in the pathogenesis of AIDS is discussed.