Association of Semen Bacteriological Profile with Infertility:– A Cross-Sectional Study in a Tertiary Care Center

CONTEXT: Infections are an important cause of male infertility. The specific effects of infections on various semen parameters remain unexplored, especially within the Indian subcontinent. AIM: The aim of the study was to determine the bacteriologic profile of semen, and its effect on semen parameters, with particular emphasis given to Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis tested by semen polymerase chain reaction (PCR). STUDY SETTING AND DESIGN: The research was a cross-sectionl analaytical study conducted in a tertiary care center in South India from March 2018 to November 2019, on 48 male partners of couples presenting with infertility. METHODOLOGY: After obtaining informed consent from the study participants, semen collection was done. The sample was subjected to standard semen analysis according to the WHO 2010 Manual, followed by bacteriological testing using routine culture methods. In addition, real-time PCR was done to test for U. urealyticum and M. hominis. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Demographic data, semen analysis parameters, bacteriological culture findings, and real-time PCR results were compared and analyzed using the software IBM(®) SPSS 19.0. RESULTS: A significant difference in viscosity of semen, which was higher in the samples that were positive for real-time PCR of M. hominis, was found. Other than this, no other parameter had a statistically significant difference between culture or real-time PCR positive samples and negative samples. CONCLUSION: Our study, though limited by a small sample size, highlights the role played by seminal infections in the context of male infertility. Larger scale prospective studies in this area would be invaluable in deciding the management plans of male factor infertility.