INFLUENCE OF BACTERIOSPERMY ON THE LEVEL OF APOPTOSIS OF EJACULATED SPERMATOZOODS

Numerous microorganisms may be involved in the pathogenesis of diseases of the male reproductive system. Bacterial metabolism can alter the biochemical properties of spermatozoa, thereby compromising their survival. The objective of this study was to comparatively examine the effect of different types of bacteriospermia on the apoptosis of ejaculated human spermatozoa. The study group consisted of 20 healthy, fertile, normozoospermic volunteers aged 20 to 35 years and 62 patients with different types of bacteriospermia. All samples tested underwent bacteriological examination within 3 hours of collection, in accordance with WHO recommendations. The apoptosis status in each group was determined by flow cytometry. Bacteriospermia was detected in 47.56% of the subjects examined. Escherichia coli (14.63% of the total number of cultures) was the most frequently isolated bacterium, followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (10.98%) and Acinetobacter spp. (7.31%). Gram-positive bacteria (Lactobacillus spp., Staphylococcus haemolyticus) accounted for 6.1% of the spermatozoa, while Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli, Acinetobacter spp., Bacteroides ureolyticus, K. pneumoniae) were the most frequently found. They induced significantly less sperm apoptosis than Gram-negative bacteria. The mean total apoptosis rate of sperm isolated from semen containing Gram-positive bacteria is 17.94 ± 1.64%, compared to 33.997 ± 1.91% for those isolated from semen containing Gram-negative bacteria. Sperm microbiota-induced apoptosis may be a mechanism involved in the development of male infertility. The development of new biomarkers for male infertility is crucial for improving the diagnosis and prognosis of this condition.