Chlamydia trachomatis (CT)
infection is the most prevalent sexually transmitted
bacterial disease worldwide. However, unlike that in
female infertility, the role of CT
infection in
male infertility remains controversial. The objective of this retrospective study was to explore the impacts of CT
infection in the genital tract on sperm quality, sperm
acrosin activity, antisperm antibody levels, and
inflammation in a large cohort of infertile males in China. A total of 7154 semen samples were collected from infertile male subjects, 416 of whom were CT positive (CT+ group) and 6738 of whom were CT negative (CT- group), in our hospital between January 2016 and December 2018. Routine semen parameters (semen volume, pH, sperm concentration, viability, motility, morphology, etc.),
granulocyte elastase levels, antisperm antibody levels, and sperm
acrosin activity were compared between the CT+ and CT- groups. Our results showed that CT
infection was significantly correlated with an abnormally low semen volume, as well as an increased white blood cell count and
granulocyte elastase level (all P < 0.05) in the semen of infertile males; other routine semen parameters were not negatively impacted. The antisperm antibody level and sperm
acrosin activity were not affected by CT
infection. These findings suggested that CT
infection might contribute to
inflammation and hypospermia but does not impair sperm viability, motility morphology, and
acrosin activity or generate antisperm
antibodies in the infertile males of China.