Bacteriospermia and sperm quality in infertile male patient at University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria

Male Urogenital tract infection plays an important role in men infertility. Asymptomtic bacteriospermia has been regarded as of the contributing factor to male infertility. In this study, 87 semen samples of infertile men attending the Human Reproduction Research Programme and Invitrofertilization unit (HRRP/IVF) of University Benin Teaching Hospital were evaluated Bacteriologically using standard Bacterial culture method. Standard semen analysis was performed according to WHO guidelines. Among the total cases, 36 (41.4%) showed at least one pathogen. Staphylococcus aureus (16.1%), Staphylococcus Saprophyticus (9.1%), Escherichia Coli (6.9%) Proteus mirabilis (3.4%) Klebsiella spp (2.3%) Pseudomonas aerouginosa (1.1%) and Proteus vulgaris (2.3%). There was a significant relation between bacteriospermia and the rate of number of total motility and morphologically abnormal sperms (p 0.05). It seems that leukocytopermia is not a good maker to predict bacteriospermia.

Studies on the significance of positive bacterial semen cultures in male fertility in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: Early warning signals (EWS) of altered reproductive potential may be very important in the prevention and management of male infertility. The presence of bacteria in semen (bacterisemia) may be an EWS. This was evaluated by determining the incidence of bacteria in semen of males with fertility problems in Benin City by culturing their semen. METHODS: Diluted semen samples were cultured on blood agar, chocolate agar, MacConkey agar, nutrient agar, and sabouraud dextrose agar slants for the isolation of micro-organisms. Colonies of a single type of micro-organism (>10(3) cfu/mL) were picked for identification and sensitivity tests using antibacterial agents. Each semen sample was further processed for spermatozoal morphology and motility, presence of peroxidase-positive cells, and other accompanying cells. Correlative studies on the relationship between bacterisemia and semen/spermatozoa variables such as total number and motility were also done. RESULTS: Pathogenic micro-organisms were present in 78/163 (47.1%) semen samples. The microbial isolates were Staphylococcus aureus 35 (43.7%), Klebsiella species 22 (28.2%), Escherichia coli 9 (11.5%), and Candida albicans 6 (7.7%). The bacterial isolates were most sensitive to ceftazidime and pefloxacin, and least to amoxycillin and tetracycline. There was a positive correlation (r = .9774) between azoospermia in males and presence of Candida albicans in semen, as well as between the presence of micro-organisms and poor semen quality (r = .8563), and the presence of micro-organisms and reduced motility (r = .8246). CONCLUSION: Presence of pathogenic micro-organisms in semen, which may be related to a breach in the integrity of the blood-testes barrier, may provide early warning signals of impairment of male fertility.

Toxicity of aflatoxin: effects on spermatozoa, oocytes, and in vitro fertilization.

Aflatoxin B1 has been reported to have a deleterious effect on the reproductive capacity of laboratory and domestic animals. We wanted to elucidate the mechanistic aspect of this phenomenon by determining the toxic potential of aflatoxin B1 on the in vitro fertilizing ability of oocytes and epididymal sperm in albino rats. In vitro fertilization medium (IVFM) containing aflatoxin B1 at concentrations of 2.0, 4.0, 8.0, and 16.0 ppb was cultured with oocytes obtained from superovulated healthy fertile female rats and exposed to sperm cells. Epididymal sperm capacitated in IVFM, with or without aflatoxin B1, were exposed to oocytes, and the rates of fertilization in the two experiments were assessed. Aflatoxin B1 significantly reduced the mean number of ova fertilized, even at the lowest concentration. Exposure to aflatoxin caused a significant reduction in the motility of sperm cells. These results demonstrate the adverse effects of aflatoxin B1 on oocytes, spermatozoa, and in vitro fertilization.

Effect of alpha-tocopherol supplementation on the impact of aflatoxin B1 on the testes of rats.

Rats were given aflatoxin B1 (7.5 microg/200 g b.w.) and alpha-tocopherol (0.9 mg/200 g b.w.) for 14 days oral intubation to investigate the effect of alpha-tocopherol on the toxicity of aflatoxin B1 on rat's testes. There were significant alterations in testicular sorbitol dehydrogenase, lactic dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase; reduced quality of sperm and marked pathological changes in the testis of rats given aflatoxin B1 alone. Alpha-tocopherol supplementation increased the aflatoxin blood level. A reduction in the toxicity of free radicals by alpha-tocopherol in association with a reduction in aflatoxin metabolism seem to be responsible for the protective influence observed.

Aflatoxin B1 and reproduction. I. Reproductive performance in female rats.

An experimental group of female rats was exposed to aflatoxin B1 at a dose of 7.5 mg/kg body weight daily for 14 days through oral intubation. A deleterious effect on the gonads and embryotoxicity in the experimental animals were observed. There were reductions in ovarian and uterine sizes, increases in fetal resorption, implantation loss, and intra-uterine death. The data showed significant disturbances in oestrus cycle, inhibition of lordosis, and reductions in the conception rates and litter sizes, suggesting severe impairment of fertility in the aflatoxin exposed rats. An aflatoxin blood level of 86.2 +/- 1.3 ppb was recovered in the experimental animals.

Aflatoxin B1 and reproduction. II. Gametoxicity in female rats.

It has been reported that aflatoxin B1 impairs the reproductive performance of female animals. The mechanism of action of this toxin on the reproductive system was investigated. Female Druckery Strain rats were administered aflatoxin B1 at doses of 7.5 and 15.0 mg/kg body weight through oral intubation for 21 days. The ovary was examined by counting superovulated oocytes and the follicles in 6 mm thick sections. Estradiol and progesterone blood levels were determined. The body and sex organ weights of rats were recorded. There were significant reductions in the number of oocytes and large follicles in a dose dependent response. The blood hormone level and body and sex organ weight were significantly disturbed. We propose that aflatoxin B1 is gametotoxic and deranges hormonal balance in affected animals.

Technical Communication: Evaluation of cassava extract/soya bean digest medium for fungal growth.

A medium that is cheaper than commercial media but just as good for assessing growth and viability of yeasts and fungi has been formulated using local ingredients: cassava and soya beans.

Dietary exposure to aflatoxin in human male infertility in Benin City, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: To discover the relationship between aflatoxin levels, if any, in serum of infertile men in comparison with random controls from the community. In a parallel experiment, adult male rats were given an aflatoxin-contaminated diet. SUBJECTS: 100 adult males, yielding 50 semen samples, from men attending Infertility Clinics at a university teaching hospital and 50 normal men in the same community. METHODS: The staple foods of the men were assayed for aflatoxin content. The rats were given the aflatoxin-rich diet, and their spermatozoa were examined and their ability to reproduce assessed. RESULTS: A random sampling of semen from 100 adult males comprising 50 samples drawn from infertile men and 50 drawn from normal individuals within the same community revealed the presence of aflatoxins in 20 semen samples from the infertile group (40.0%) and four samples from the fertile group (8.0%). The mean aflatoxin concentrations were 1.660 +/- 0.04 micrograms/mL (infertile men) and 1.041 +/- 0.01 micrograms/mL (fertile men). Infertile men with aflatoxin in their semen showed a higher percentage of spermatozoal abnormality (50.0%) than the fertile men (10.0-15.0%). Dietary exposure of adult male Albino rats to aflatoxin (8.5 micrograms AF1/g of Guinea growers feed for 14 days) produced deleterious effects on the spermatozoa of the affected rats, producing features that resemble those seen in semen of infertile men exposed to aflatoxin.

Dietary exposure to aflatoxin in Benin City, Nigeria: a possible public health concern.

A total of 100 samples of various foods comprising of 10 samples each of garri (Manihot utilis Pohl), beans (Phaseolus lunatus), yam flour (Dioscorea rotundata), cassava flour (Manihot esculentum), melon (Citrulus lunatus), onion (Allium cepa), rice (Oryza sativa), plantain (Musa paradisiaca), red pepper (Capsicum annuum L., Solanaceae) and eggs were screened for the presence of aflatoxins. Fifty percent of yam flour; 40% of cassava flour; 30% of garri; 20% of beans and melon and 10% of rice yielded aflatoxin. The implications of this incidence of aflatoxin in common foodstuff found in this community is discussed.