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Am. J. Biomed. Sci. 2010, 2(1), 91-97; doi: 10.5099/aj100100091
Received: 8 September 2009; | Revised: 1 November 2009; | Accepted:5 December 2009
 

Interference of Human Spermatozoal Motility by Live Staphylococcus aureus
 

Siftjit Kaur1, Vijay Prabha*1, Geeta Shukla1 and Abha Sarwal2

1Department of Microbiology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.

2Department of Pathology, Government Multi Speciality Hospital, Chandigarh, India.

*Corresponding author

Dr. (Mrs) Vijay Prabha

Associate Professor

Department of Microbiology

Panjab University

Chandigarh-160014. India

Telephone: 91-172-2534144

Fax:  91-172-2541770

E mail: satishvijay11@yahoo.com

 

Abstract

The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of live Staphylococcus aureus commonly present in the cervix of females on sperm motility and agglutination in vitro. Highly motile samples of spermatozoa (40 x 106 /ml) from normozoospermic males were co-incubated for 4h with 107 cells/ml of live S. aureus. After 30 minutes, 1, 2 and 4h of incubation, sperm motility and agglutination was checked by light microscopic examination (X 400). From the onset, it was apparent that the live bacteria reduced the motility of spermatozoa. The promptness with which the decreased motility was observed to occur in the live S. aureus group was striking. After 30 minutes of mixing the ejaculate with the live bacteria, decrease in motility and clumping of the spermatozoa was noted. Interestingly, no agglutination and immobilization was observed in other experiments in which the bacteria were killed by heat, lysozyme or antibiotics and mixed with the ejaculate. Certainly, it seems evident that live S. aureus can significantly depress the motility and agglutinate human spermatozoa in vitro. The mechanism by which this alteration takes place is not obvious, however, detrimental effect on sperm motility by live staphylococci may be an as yet unrecognized component of fertility problems.

Keywords:  Staphylococcus aureus; sperm immobilization; heat; lysozyme; antibiotics; scanning electron microscopy.

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