Ascertaining the Impacts of Bacteriospermia on Basic Semen Parameters: A Cross-Sectional Study in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: A lot of research attention are recently focused on investigations to unravel the impacts of bacterial pathogens on semen quality to garner more insights on their public health implications. The intent of this study was to ascertain the effects of bacteriospermia on male-factor infertility among adult males in Port Harcourt, South-South, Nigeria. Methodology: This facility-based retrospective cross-sectional study, between January 2021 and December 2023 assessed the laboratory records of 187 males who were being evaluated for infertility at public and private healthcare facilities within the study period. The records of subjects with complete documentation for semen analysis and culture were included while those without complete documentation were excluded; with 175 persons meeting the inclusion criteria. The processing of specimens followed standard procedure as stated in the standard operating procedure (SOP) manual of the laboratory. Results: The laboratory records of seminal fluid analysis for 175 males, indicate the oldest subject was 63 years while the youngest was 26 years; the mean age was 40.99 ± 9.558 years, the median age was 38.00 years and the mode was 40 years. The prevalence of normal semen parameters was as follows: volume, (73.7%); motility, (31.4%); concentration, (63.9%,) and morphology, (62.3%,) The overall prevalence of bacteriospermia was 48.0%. The predominant bacteria was Escherichia coli (27.4%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (25.0%), Enterococcus faecalis (19.1%), Streptococci (17.9%), Acinetobacter baumannii (3.6%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (3.6%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (2.4%), and Proteus mirabilis (1.2%) Conclusion: The outcome of this study makes imperative the deployment of appropriate laboratory diagnostic tools in the workup for infertility. Culture and susceptibility testing together with seminal fluid analysis and related tests will help in the detection of etiologic agents in symptomatic and asymptomatic bacteriospermia; as well as determine the appropriate antimicrobial agents for the treatment.