Antibiotic susceptibility of urogenital microbial profile of infertile men in South-eastern Nigeria

Male factors are known to contribute significantly to the infertility problem. The urogenital bacteria profile and semen quality were investigated among 160 men attending infertility clinics in South-eastern Nigeria. Both semen and urine samples were obtained from each subject and analysed according to standard techniques. A total of 16 (10%) had bacterial infection in their semen samples and individuals of older age groups were significantly affected (chi(2) = 23.18, P0.05). Urinary tract infection (UTI) was observed in 30.6% of subjects, with the highest rate occurring among men aged 36-40 years, but the difference was not significant (chi(2) = 7.62, P0.05). A total of 33.8% of the men had semen volume less than 2 ml per ejaculate, 33.8% also recorded total sperm count of40 x 10(6) ml(-1), while 36.3% recorded sperm motility50%. Fifty-three individuals (33.1%) had suboptimal sperm morphology (60%), with the men aged 46-50 years old significantly affected (chi(2) = 13.03, P0.05). All the individuals with bacterial infection in semen also had UTI and suboptimal semen parameters. The commonest bacterial isolates were Proteus species, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, which were resistant to most of the antibiotics assessed.