Effects of infections with five sexually transmitted pathogens on sperm quality.

Objective: This study investigated the prevalence of infections with human papillomavirus, Chlamydia trachomatis , Ureaplasma urealyticum , Mycoplasma hominis , and Mycoplasma genitalium in the semen of Korean infertile couples and their associations with sperm quality.

Methods: Semen specimens were collected from 400 men who underwent a fertility evaluation. Infection with above five pathogens was assessed in each specimen. Sperm quality was compared in the pathogen-infected group and the non-infected group.

Results: The infection rates of human papillomavirus, C. trachomatis , U. urealyticum , M. hominis , and M. genitalium in the study subjects were 1.57%, 0.79%, 16.80%, 4.46%, and 1.31%, respectively. The rate of morphological normality in the U. urealyticum -infected group was significantly lower than in those not infected with U. urealyticum . In a subgroup analysis of normozoospermic samples, the semen volume and the total sperm count in the pathogen-infected group were significantly lower than in the non-infected group.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that infection with U. urealyticum alone and any of the five sexually transmitted infections are likely to affect sperm morphology and semen volume, respectively.