Many men make antibodies to sperm, resulting in destruction of sperm to the point of sterility. What would be the likely origin of this autoimmune disease?
A. These antibodies are produced as a result of mutations in T lymphocytes, causing them to make large amounts of antibody.
B. Antigens on sperm cells are similar to antigens on a variety of bacteria like Streptococcus. After a strep throat caused by Streptococcus, the immune system produces antibodies to streptococcal antigens, which then cross react with sperm antigens and destroy them.
C. Since sperm are not made until after puberty, the immune system cannot scan the antigens on the sperm for immune tolerance. After sperm are made and the immune system sees them, they are recognized as foreign.
D. T helper cells erroneously identify sperm cells as foreign invaders, triggering the T cytotoxic cells to start killing sperm.
Answer: C
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What will be an ideal response?
Which conclusion can best be drawn from this study?
A) Women of age 20 or younger never have a child with Down syndrome. B) Women in this study who were 45 years old had three times the incidence of babies with Down syndrome as did 40-year-old women. C) Many babies with Down syndrome die before birth. D) For 40-year-old women around the world, ten births per thousand have Down syndrome.