Chlamydia trachomatis male urogenital infections. Assessment of molecular epidemiology, associated inflammatory response and sperm quality

PAIRA, DANIELA A.; OLIVERA, CAROLINA; MOLINA, ROSA I.; TISSERA, ANDREA D.; RIVERO, VIRGINIA E.; SAKA, HECTOR A.; MOTRICH, RUBEN D.

Mar del Plata

Congreso; Reunión Conjunta SAIC, SAI&FAIC, SAFIS 2022; 2022

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is the most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterial infection. Although the infection and associated pathology have been widely described in women, the study of male urogenital infection has been neglected. Herein, we analyzed the prevalence of CT male urogenital infection, the molecular epidemiology, semen inflammation and sperm quality in young-adult men. A cohort of 212 males aged 20-49 years old with couple’s primary infertility or lower urinary tract symptoms was studied. Semen samples were collected by masturbation and semen analysis performed according to the WHO manual. CT and other uropathogens infections were assessed by PCR. Seminal levels of inflammatory cytokines, leukocyte subsets, sperm ROS production and apoptosis were analyzed by ELISA or flow cytometry. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for statistical analysis. A high prevalence of CT infection (32.1%) was found, presenting as mono-infection or co-infection with other uropathogens in 12.2% and 19.9% of cases, respectively. Interestingly, most infections were produced by non-previously reported CT genomic variants. Patients infected with CT only or co-infected with other uropathogens showed neither significant alterations in most of the sperm quality parameters analyzed nor increased inflammatory cytokines in semen. Remarkably, the infection with CT either alone or co-infecting with any other uropathogens inversely correlated with sperm ROS levels and peroxidase (+) cell counts in semen. Moreover, the sole infection with CT associated with increased semen numbers of CD8+ T cells, macrophages and senescent T lymphocytes.Our results revealed a high prevalence of CT urogenital infection in men from our region and the existence of new local microbial variants. Interestingly, our data suggest that CT would skew the immune response away from inflammation thus remaining as a silent infection. Thus, men would provide a reservoir for continuous transmission of the infection.