In light of the relative success of ICSI in the treatment of
male infertility, much importance has been made to the selection of morphologically viable sperm. However, correlation between specific sperm morphology and
chromosomal abnormalities is still relatively limited and less is known about the connection between sperm morphology and
DNA integrity. Sperm obtained from isolated teratozoospermic men (n = 10) and control men (n = 9) were analysed using FISH (for chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y) and TUNEL assays to determine the level of
aneuploidy and DNA fragmentation. Sperm morphology was evaluated on its ability to identify the level of
chromosomal abnormalities or fragmented
DNA in sperm. Sperm from teratozoospermic men, compared with fertile men, had higher rates of total
chromosomal abnormality (p < 0.05), total
aneuploidy (p < 0.01) and chromosome 13 disomy (p < 0.01). Associations between particular types of sperm morphology and
chromosomal abnormalities were observed in both control (tapered heads) and teratozoospermic (amorphous heads and tail abnormalities) samples. Levels of
DNA fragmented sperm were higher in teratozoospermic men than in the control men (60.28 +/- 21.40% vs. 32.40 +/- 17.20%, p < 0.05) and positively correlated to sperm with bent necks in control samples and round heads in teratozoospermic samples (p < 0.05). Sperm of isolated teratozoospermic men have higher rates of
chromosomal abnormalities and DNA fragmentation than that of the fertile controls. Specific abnormal sperm morphology can be correlated to
chromosomal abnormalities and level of DNA fragmentation in sperm.