Evaluation of Anti-Sperm Antibodies (ASAs) in the Serum and Seminal Plasma of Dromedary Male Camels with Infertility History

Abstract

Anti-sperm antibodies (ASAs) have been shown to contribute to male infertility in multiple species but never been examined in male camels. We have developed and evaluated an ELISA assay to specifically detect and quantify ASAs in the serum and seminal plasma of 29 infertile dromedary male camels, which were of two different breeds (Waddah & Majaheem) and three different ages (> 3 to ≤5, ≥5 to ≤7, and >7 years). ASAs were detected in ≥ 80% of the examined animals with considerable individual variation within each group. The serum and seminal plasma ASAs indexes (%) were significantly elevated in the >7 years group compared to the >3 to ≤5 and ≥5 to ≤7 years groups (P ≤ 0.05), and in the ≥5 to ≤7 years group compared to the >3 to ≤5 years group (P ≤ 0.05). Serum and seminal plasma ASAs indexes were significantly higher in the Waddah breed compared to the Majaheem breed (P ≤ 0.05). The sperm motility and viability were significantly higher in the >7 years group compared to the > 3 to ≤5 years and ≥5 to ≤7 years groups (P ≤ 0.05 and P ≤ 0.01, respectively). Significant differences were also observed between the examined two breeds concerning sperm viability and motility with sperm viability being higher in the Majaheem breed (P ≤ 0.05) and sperm motility in the Waddah breed (P ≤ 0.05). Our data demonstrated the presence of ASAs in sera and seminal plasma of infertile dromedary male camels. Our results suggested that age and breed influenced serum and seminal plasma levels of ASAs in male camels. Data presented in the current study highlight the potential role of ASAs in camel infertility; however, more work is needed to determine ASAs' contribution to reproductive challenges in camels.