The role of inflammation and/or infection of the male accessory sex glands is very important for the potential effects that these conditions have on male fertility.
The clinical Andrologist should be aware of the pathophysiological role of the main determinants of sperm damage when these conditions occur, in particular seminal leukocytes, oxidative stress, and cytokines. In addition, it is important to have a good knowledge of the methodologies to be used in the clinical practice. This article summarizes the methods used to look for and to identify the microorganisms responsible for male urogenital tract infections. These include sperm culture, urine culture, urethral swab, Meares-Stamey test, and balanopreputial swab. In the last part, we discussed the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in male infertility.
Written by:
La Vignera S, Condorelli RA, Vicari E, Salmeri M, Morgia G, Favilla V, Cimino S, Calogero AE. Are you the author?
University of Catania, Italy.
Reference: J Med Microbiol. 2013 Sep 26. Epub ahead of print.
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 24072761
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