The Role of Chlamydial Infection in Male Infertility Hassan Jabbar S.1, Salah Reyam F.2, Gaidan Ayad M.2 1Ph. D in Microbiology, College of Medicine, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq 2Ph. D in Microbiology, College of Science, Tikrit University, Tikrit, Iraq Online published on 8 March, 2019. Abstract Background Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular bacterium most commonly associated with sexually transmitted diseases. In females, infection with this bacterium is well-documented as a cause of infertility. However, in males this effect is controversial. The aim of current study was to investigate the association of C. trachomatis infection in infertile male genital tract with some sperm parameters. Method This is a case-control study including 100 seminal fluid specimens from infertile men and other 100 specimens from fertile men as controls. Specimens from both groups were subjected for macroscopic and microscopic examinations. Bacterial DNA was extracted from each sample and 16S ribosomal gene of C. trachomatis was amplified with specific primers using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results Seventeen specimens from infertile men were positive for C. trachomatis DNA versus one specimen from fertile men. A comparison of sperm quality between C. trachomatis-positive and-negative infertile men revealed a significant association between the presence of C. trachomatis in male genital tract and low sperms concentration and motility. Conclusion This study provided further evidence indicating that the motility and morphology of sperm are significantly influenced by the presence of C. trachomatis in male genital tract. Top Keywords Chlamydia trachomatis, sexually transmitted diseases, male infertility, prostatitis, sperm motility, bacterial DNA. Top |