Sperm motility changes after coincubation with various uropathogenic microorganisms: an in vitro experimental study

Objective We investigated the relationship between semen motility and various uropathogenic microorganisms. Materials and methods Semen specimens from healthy donors were divided into portions and incubated with uropathogenic microorganisms in concentrations varying from 2 x 10(3) to 2 x 10(7) microorganisms/ml(-1). Uninfected suspensions of spermatozoa served as controls. In all samples, sperm motility was examined at the second, fourth, and sixth hours after incubation in order to assess motility as a function of time. Enterobacter aerogenes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, S. aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli were used as bacterial agents. Besides these bacterial strains, Candida albicans was also used. Results and conclusions Observed negative impact on sperm motility was not correlated with microorganism concentration. However, until a certain concentration threshold, this impact was prominent. Regardless of the microorganism, this deleterious effect could not be confirmed in specimens coincubated with lower microorganism concentration. No or poor correlation was found between motility and bacteria concentration except with E. aerogenes at the second hour. The data indicates that sperm function impairment is not related to direct sperm and bacteria interaction. Instead, bacterial concentration enough to change the environment or to consume high energy might result in motility loss.