BACTERIAL-INFECTION AND SEMEN CHARACTERISTICS IN INFERTILE MEN

Semen samples of 190 men attending an andrology clinic were evaluated with bacteriological culture and categorized as negative (group I) and positive (group II); the effect of bacteriospemia on semen characteri stics was also analyzed. Semen samples from both groups were simultane ously analyzed for routine parameters such as volume, sperm count, mot ility, viability and morphology. The semen culture was negative in 34% and positive in 66% of the samples. From 123 samples, 157 aerobes and 8 anaerobes were recovered. The most commonly isolated organism was S taphylococcus epidermidis (in 63% of the samples), followed by Strepto coccus viridans (28%), Escherichia coli (9%), Staphylococcus aureus (5 %), Streptococcus faecalis (5%), beta-hemolytic streptococcus (4%), an d Enterobacter agglomerans (4%). Other microorganisms, including Klebs iella sp, Candida sp., and Proteus mirabilis, were recovered in fewer than 4% of the specimens. The comparison of semen characteristics betw een infected and noninfected men showed that motile spermatozoa and vi ability were lower when the microorganisms were present in the semen. It would appear that the bacteria can have a direct effect on semen qu ality with negative consequences in fertility.