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INTEGRATING NEW TESTS OF SPERM GENETIC INTEGRITY INTO SEMEN ANALYSIS: BREAKOUT GROUP DISCUSSION
Citation:
PERREAULT, S D., R. J. Aitken, H. W. Baker, D. P. Evenson, G. Huszar, D. S. Irvine, I. D. Morris, R. A. Morris, W. A. Robbins, D. Sakkas, M. Spano, AND A. J. Wyrobek. INTEGRATING NEW TESTS OF SPERM GENETIC INTEGRITY INTO SEMEN ANALYSIS: BREAKOUT GROUP DISCUSSION. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. Springer, New York, NY, 518:253-268, (2003).
Description:
The First International Conference on Male-Mediated Developmental Toxicity, held in September 1992, reported that the spermatozoon can bring genetic damage into the oocyte at fertilization and thereby contribute to subsequent abnormal pregnancy outcomes. At that time, laboratory tests for genetic defects in sperm were at an early stage of development and were relatively untested in the clinic and the field. A breakout group at that meeting discussed the need for improved sperm biomarkers of adverse reproductive effects and concluded that sensitive, reliable, and practical methods for detecting DNA damage in animal and human spermatozoa were needed. Therefore a major objective of the Second International Conference on Male-Mediated Developmental Toxicity was to elaborate on the utility of these new and improved markers of genetic damage in sperm. Accordingly, the conference organizers charged one of the breakout groups with debating the relative merits of these new tests and making recommendations regarding their integration into routine semen analysis for the purpose of diagnosing infertility and/or evaluating risks of exposures to pharmaceuticals or environmental contaminants. Specific tests were targeted for consideration based on their prevalence in the literature and the presence, at the breakout session, of technical experts on their implementation. These included: assays for sperm aneuploidy and chromosome aberrations based on the use of chromosome-specific molecular probes (FISH); tests for chromatin/DNA integrity based on the detection of denatured or broken DNA (SCSA, Comet, TUNEL); and, briefly, tests that detect sperm maturity insofar as they may correlate with DNA damage. This chapter summarizes our deliberations as to the practicality of including them in a semen analysis and interpreting the results from both clinical and epidemiological perspectives.