Failure to Detect Helicobacter pylori DNA in Semen Samples of Patients Referred to the Avicenna Infertility Clinic - Tehran, Iran

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a gram-negative, spiral-shaped, microaerophilic microorganism and a causative agent of many gastrointestinal tract diseases, as well as several extragastric infections. Several studies have suggested the possibility of sexual transmission of these bacteria. Objectives: The aim of the current study Was to determine the possibility of detecting H. pylori DNA in semen samples from infertile men, compared with healthy controls. Patients and Methods: One hundred infertile male patients and 100 age and gender-matched healthy controls have been enrolled in the study. Semen samples collected from each participant, undergone DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to detect the H. pylori. The s-actin PCR was performed to verify the accuracy of DNA extraction. Results: Each sample was positive in the s-actin PCR assay. None of the samples, from both patients and controls, showed positive PCR results. Consequently, statistical analysis was impossible to perform. Conclusions: We could not confirm the presence of H. pylori DNA in semen samples, but this does not exclude the possibility of male urethral colonization by this organism. Further studies with similar results are necessary to certify this hypothesis.