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We are “talking” a lot more about the gut microbiome and, as studies continue, we are discovering how big an impact it has on human health and well-being. The sperm microbiome could also play the same role in sperm health. According to UCLA researchers, the sperm microbiota could actually have a decisive influence on certain sperm parameters and thus male fertility. Taking into account the numerous recent research findings highlighting the importance of the microbiome in overall human health, the researchers took a closer look at how the sperm microbiome might impact male infertility.
Regulating the sperm microbiome to treat infertility?
Exploring the functions of these microorganisms in the sperm microbiome could actually open new avenues for developing treatments for male infertility. The analysis shows the following:
- One microorganism in particular, Lactobacillus iners, can have a direct negative impact on male fertility;
- Men who have more of these microbes in their sperm are more likely to have sperm motility problems.
These results are consistent with previous research that Lactobacillus iners can produce L-lactic acid, which locally induces a pro-inflammatory environment that may impair sperm motility.
However, studies that had already documented this connection between this microbe and fertility had until then focused on the vaginal microbiome. This is the first study to report a negative association between the microbe and male fertility.
- In patients with normal and abnormal sperm concentration, 3 types of bacteria from the Pseudomonas group are present:
- the bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens and Pseudomonas stutzeri are more common in patients with abnormal sperm concentrations;
- Pseudomonas putida bacteria are less common in samples with abnormal sperm concentrations;
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Closely related microbes do not always have the same direct connection to fertility.
Research must therefore continue to explore the sperm microbiome and its connection to male infertility, concludes one of the lead authors, Dr. Vadim Osadchiy, urologist at UCLA.
However, these initial results suggest that restoring some balance to the sperm microbiome could help resolve certain infertility problems.
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