Human papillomavirus and Chlamydia trachomatis in semen samples of asymptomatic fertile and infertile men: prevalence and relation between semen parameters and IL-18 levels

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) and Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) infections, and the relationship of these infections to semen parameters and proinflammatory cytokine (IL-18) levels in both sexually active and asymptomatic men. Materials and methods: One hundred and seventy-five (144 infertile and 31 fertile as control) men were included in this study. The presence of HPV and C. trachomatis were investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay in semen samples. IL-18 levels were measured using ELISA method in seminal plasma. Results: The prevalence rates were 1.1% and 8.6% for HPV and C. trachomatis, respectively. All HPV positive samples subtyped as high-risk HPV. There was no significant difference for both HPV and C. trachomatis rates between fertile and infertile groups (p>0.05). Although the seminal parameters between infertile and fertile groups were different (p<0.001), the differences of mean IL-18 levels were statistically insignificant (p>0.05). Conclusion: The prevelance rates of HPV and C. trachomatis in asymptomatic sexually active men in our region were comparable with the other studies. These findings might provide a basic data for preventive measures and policy development for sexually transmitted infections in Turkish men.