Investigations on the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis infections in infertile male outpatients.

The determination of Chlamydia antibodies in serum is unsuitable for diagnosing infertility in men. The determination of secretory IgA in seminal plasma would seem to be of greater relevance. Since antibodies against C. trachomatis and C. pneumoniae can be detected, a species-specific test for the diagnosis of infections of the male genital tract should be used. Only at relatively high titers (> or = 1:400) do genus-specific tests agree with the species-specific micro-immunofluorescence test. Whether such values can be taken as a true indicator of a local, chronic infection remains to be investigated.