Open AccessDetection of partial and/or complete Y chromosome microdeletions of azoospermia factor a (AZFa) sub‐region in infertile Iraqi patients with azoospermia and severe oligozoospermia
Author(s) -
S. AlOuqaili Mushtak T.,
AlAni Sahar K.,
Alaany Rehab,
AlQaisi Mohammed N.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of clinical laboratory analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1098-2825
pISSN - 0887-8013
DOI - 10.1002/jcla.24272
Subject(s) - azoospermia , male infertility , azoospermia factor , infertility , gynecology , medicine , y chromosome microdeletion , andrology , biology , genetics , pregnancy
Background This study aimed to analyze the incidence of azoospermia factor a (AZFa) microdeletions in the Y chromosome and their association with male infertility in a population with azoospermia and severe oligozoospermia from Iraq. Methods A total of 75 infertile Iraqi males and 25 healthy controls were included in this study. The semen analysis was performed to determine the azoospermia, severe oligozoospermia, or normal cases. The AZFa microdeletions were investigated using the real‐time polymerase chain reaction (real‐time PCR). Then, AZFa sub‐region deletions were investigated by a conventional PCR. Results In total, 40 men with azoospermia and 35 men with severe oligozoospermia were selected. Out of 75 infertile males, 46 (61.3%) individuals had AZFa microdeletions, of whom 32 (69.6%) had partial deletion, while 14 (30.4%) males had complete deletion using real‐time PCR. The frequency of microdeletions was significantly different between the infertile and control group ( p ‐value < 0.00001). The proportion of AZFa microdeletions appeared higher in azoospermia men (72.5%, n = 29/40) than severe oligozoospermia men (48.6%, n = 17/35), but based on the conventional PCR results, only one azoospermia patient (2.2%) was shown to have complete AZFa deletion, while the other 45 patients (97.8%) had partial AZFa deletions. Conclusion In this study, the partial AZFa microdeletions were more numerous than complete AZFa deletion. According to our results, the AZFa microdeletions might be associated with male infertility and spermatogenic failure. It is recommended to investigate the AZFa sub‐region microdeletions in patients that shown AZFa microdeletions in primary screening.