Is semen polymorphonuclear leucocytes count a good predictor of male genital tract infection?

ABSTRACT

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>This study aims to evaluate whether an increased polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMN) count in semen is a good predictor of male genital tract infection, which is detected by semen culture.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A retrospective cross-sectional study examining the semen of 388 men was conducted at the in vitro fertilisation centre of a tertiary hospital. We compared the culture results of 109 men with increased semen PMN count against those of 279 men with normal semen PMN count.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was no significant difference in the percentage of positive cultures between men with increased PMN count in their semen and those without PMN count elevation (original sensitivity 20.8%, specificity 70.3%; p = 0.1289). The overall percentage of positive semen cultures among all 388 patients was 18.6%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Based on the positive cultures of significant organisms in the semen of our cohort, an increased semen PMN count is not a good predictor of genital tract infection in men.</p>