Asymptomatic bacteriospermia in infertile men.

The aerobic and anaerobic flora of the semen was examined in 109 men visiting our infertility clinic. Not one specimen was sterile and 107 specimens contained two or more different bacterial species. Anaerobic organisms were found in 63.3% of specimens. We were able to isolate various organisms that have been shown to be spermicidal in vitro (viridans and hemolytic streptococci, Proteus vulgaris and Escherichia coli) from a large number of samples. If the presence of microorganisms in the semen is associated with infertility, it is likely that only certain organisms are involved or that the numbers of organisms must be high for an effect to be seen. The presence of organisms in the semen may also be related to gynecologic infections.