Characterization of microbiota in male infertility cases uncovers differences in seminal hyperviscosity and oligoasthenoteratozoospermia possibly correlated with increased prevalence of infectious bacteria.

PROBLEM: Sexually transmitted diseases and other infections of male genitourinary tract are thought to negatively impact reproductive health, affecting semen quality. Despite a possible link between bacteria and infertility, few studies attempted to characterize seminal microbiota in healthy and diseased subjects.

METHODS OF THE STUDY: A high-throughput sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA gene was performed in a cohort of infertility-related cases (N = 89) and controls (N = 29) using a pooled sample approach.

RESULTS

A global characterization of microbiota was obtained at low cost, without compromising the identification of bacterial taxa. This strategy allowed us to detect changes in the microbiota of infertility-related phenotypes, such as an increment of Proteobacteria in seminal hyperviscosity, and to separate this later group from oligoasthenoteratozoospermia based in bacterial (family/genus) abundances.

CONCLUSION

We provide data for a likely contribution of bacteria into seminal hyperviscosity and oligoasthenoteratozoospermia, partially correlated with an increment of Neisseria, Klebsiella, and Pseudomonas pathogens and a reduction in Lactobacillus probiotic agent.