Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis, Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis and analysis of semen quality in male partners of infertile couples from Argentina

PAIRA, DANIELA A.; TISSERA, ANDREA D.; MOLINA, ROSA I.; OLMEDO, JOSE J.; RIVERO, VIRGINIA E.; MOTRICH, RUBEN D.

Washington

Congreso; American Society of Andrology (ASA) Annual Meeting 2021; 2021

Introduction and objectiveMale urogenital infection/inflammation is responsible for up to 15% of male infertility cases. Several microorganisms have been proposed to play a pathogenic role, including Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU), Mycoplasma hominis (MH) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT). However, available reports on the effects of these infections in semen quality are controversial. Herein, we studied the prevalence these infections and different semen quality parameters in patients attending to an Andrology Clinic from central Argentina.MethodsA total of 1930 male partners of infertile couples were enrolled. Semen specimens were collected by masturbation and semen analysis assessed according to the WHO manual. Analysis of UU, MH and CT infections was performed by molecular or culture methods. Non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used for statistical analysis. Chi-square test, odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were used to calculate the association between infections.ResultsPrevalence of UU, MH and CT were 17.2% (332/1930), 4.04% (78/1930), and 5.34% (103/1930), respectively. A single infection was detected in 19.3% (372/1930) of patients, and the presence of two and the three simultaneous uropathogens was detected in only 3.94% (76/1930) of patients. An association was found between MH and UU infections, OR: 25.45 (CI 14.2-45.62, p <0.0001). On the contrary, no association was found between the infection of CT with MH or with UU infections, OR: 0.96 (CI 0.36-2.53, p> 0.05) and OR 0.71 (CI 0.40-1.25, p> 0.05), respectively. Analysis of semen quality between non-infected and infected patients revealed that UU infection was associated with significantly increased leukocyte counts (p<0.05). Infections with MH or CT did not associate with leukocytospermia (p>0.05). However, the latter both infections were associated with significantly lower sperm concentration (p<0.05) and decreased normal sperm morphology (p<0.004). Moreover, MH infection was associated with decreased sperm viability (p<0.05).ConclusionOur results describe, for the first time, the prevalence of three common urogenital infections in male partners of infertile couples in Argentina, with similar values to those already reported worldwide. Moreover, our data indicate an association between MH and UU infections. Interestingly, only UU infection was associated to leukocytospermia. On the other hand, MH and CT infections were associated with alterations in some semen quality parameters compared with non-infected patients. Our results highlight the need to routinely study the infectious factor in patients who consult for fertility issues.