Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine

The Korean Society for Reproductive Medicine (대한생식의학회)
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Effects of infections with five sexually transmitted pathogens on sperm quality

  • Kim, Sung Jae (Department of Anatomy.Cell Biology, Hanyang University College of Medicine) ;
  • Paik, Doo-Jin (Department of Anatomy.Cell Biology, Hanyang University College of Medicine) ;
  • Lee, Joong Shik (Department of Urology, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Dankook University College of Medicine) ;
  • Lee, Hyo Serk (Department of Urology, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Dankook University College of Medicine) ;
  • Seo, Ju Tae (Department of Urology, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Dankook University College of Medicine) ;
  • Jeong, Mi Seon (Laboratory of Research and Development for Genomics, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Dankook University College of Medicine) ;
  • Lee, Jae-Ho (Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Dankook University College of Medicine) ;
  • Park, Dong Wook (Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Dankook University College of Medicine) ;
  • Han, Sangchul (Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Dankook University College of Medicine) ;
  • Lee, Yoo Kyung (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Dankook University College of Medicine) ;
  • Lee, Ki Heon (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Dankook University College of Medicine) ;
  • Lee, In Ho (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Dankook University College of Medicine) ;
  • So, Kyeong A (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Dankook University College of Medicine) ;
  • Kim, Seon Ah (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Dankook University College of Medicine) ;
  • Kim, Juree (Department of Radiation Oncology, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Dankook University College of Medicine) ;
  • Kim, Tae Jin (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Dankook University College of Medicine)
  • Received : 2017.08.03
  • Accepted : 2017.11.29
  • Published : 2017.12.31
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Abstract

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.

Keywords

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