Clinical Investigation on Bacterial Flora and Leukocytes in Semen

Recent interest has been directed toward determining the significance of genital tract infection in the male and determining its effects on the fertility potential of spermatozoa. Genital tract infection is now recognized as an important factor in the etiology of infertility. Detection of these genital infection is, however, hindered by the lack of well-defined clinical, cytological, and microbiological criteria. In order to investigate the influence of seminal leukocytes and bacterial flora on the infertility of male, a total of 60 patients who had not sired children was subjected to this clinical investigation. They were divided into Group I, 15 cases of azoospermia; Group II, 15 cases of oligospermia; Group III, 15 cases of asthenospermia, and Group IV, 15 cases of normaspermia. All of the subjects were free from symptom of genital tract infection, had negative bacteriological smear of urine, and no present use of antimicrobial drugs. Semen samples were collected by masturbation under aseptic conditions and analyzed for spermiogramme, leukocytes counts and cultured for isolation of organisms. Results obtained were as follows: 1. Bacterial culture in seminal fluid: a) Culture was positive in 54 cases, and negative in the remaining 6 cases. b) Identified bacteria were 9 species, such as Corynebacterium, Staphylococcus epidermis, alphaStreptococcus, Micrococcus, Hemophilus, Lactobacillus, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli in their order of frequency. c) Colony counts of IO'/ml or more were isolated in 21 cases out of the 60 patients. That is, 6 cases in Group I, 4 cases in Group II, 6 cases in Group III, and 5 cases in Group IV. Statistically insignificant difference among the 4 Groups (Chi-square test, x'=0.90, p>0.05). 2. Leukocyte counts in seminal fluid: Leukocytes were counted O. 34±0. 30 x IO"/ml in Group I, O. 98±0. 81 x 10'/ml in Group II, 3. 38±2. 78 x 10'/ml in Group III, and 1. 48±1. 07 x IO"/ml in Group IV. Mean counts of total patients, 1. 54±1. 30 x 10"/ml (These data were lower than the physiological upper range of 4.69 x lO'/ml). Statistically significant difference among the 4 Groups (Analysis of variance, F=10.65, p>0.05). 3. Correlation of results: a) Insignificant corrrelation was existed between bacterial counts and leukocytes counts: Correlation coefficient: r=O.1 (p>0.05). b) Insignificant correlation was noted between bacterial counts and sperm counts: Correlation coefficient: r=0.90 (p>0.05). c) Significant correlation was found between bacterial counts and sperm motility: Correlation coefficient: r= -0. 37 (p<0.05). d) Significant correlation was existed between leukocyte counts and sperm motility; Correlation coefficient: r=0.29 (p<0.05). e) Significant correlation was noted between leukocyte counts and sperm counts: Correlation coefficient: r=0.42 (p