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. 2000 Nov 10;113(1121):468-70.

Frequency of microdeletions in the azoospermia factor region of the Y-chromosome of New Zealand men

N J Kerr  1 , J Zhang, F Y Sin, P Benny, I L Sin
Affiliations
  • PMID: 11194754

Frequency of microdeletions in the azoospermia factor region of the Y-chromosome of New Zealand men

N J Kerr et al. N Z Med J. .

Abstract

Aim: To determine the frequency of microdeletions in the azoospermic factor (AZF) genes on the Y-chromosome of New Zealand men attending the Fertility Centre.

Methods: World Health Organisation criteria were used to classify men as normospermic, oligozoospermic, severely oligozoospermic, and azoospermic. Microdeletions were detected from DNA of semen samples by the sequence-tagged site polymerase chain reaction.

Results: Microdeletions were detected in 20% (3/15) of azoospermic men, 4% (2/50) of severely oligozoospermic men, 3.2% (2/62) of oligozoospermic men, and 0.7% (1/141) normospermic men. One azoospermic man had multiple non-contiguous deletions. Overall, 5.5% of infertile men had at least one microdeletion in the long arm of the Y-chromosome. One severely oligozoospermic man and one oligozoospermic man had produced unassisted pregnancies.

Conclusion: New Zealand men attending a Christchurch fertility centre have a similar frequency of microdeletions in the Y-chromosome to other populations. Azoospermic men have a higher frequency of microdeletions than men with less severe spermatogenic failure. Men with microdeletions can have reduced fertility, but are not necessarily sterile.

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