Seminal bacterial composition in patients with obstructive and non‑obstructive azoospermia

Chen,Houyang; Luo,Tao; Chen,Tingtao; Wang,Gongxian

doi:10.3892/etm.2018.5778

Seminal bacterial composition in patients with obstructive and non‑obstructive azoospermia

Authors:
- Houyang Chen
- Tao Luo
- Tingtao Chen
- Gongxian Wang
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Affiliations: Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330006, P.R. China, Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330031, P.R. China, Institute of Translational Medicine, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330031, P.R. China
Published online on: January 19, 2018 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2018.5778
Pages: 2884-2890
Copyright: © Chen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

A number of culture-dependent and -independent studies have reported that the number and significance of bacterial species in semen may have been underestimated. The aim of the present study was to profile the seminal microbiome in patients with obstructive or non‑obstructive azoospermia. A high‑throughput sequencing method was adopted to sequence genomic DNA extracted from the semen of healthy people (C group), patients with obstructive azoospermia (OA group) and patients with non‑obstructive azoospermia (NOA group). The results revealed that Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria species comprised the majority of bacteria in the C (98.14%), OA (98.26%) and NOA (90.96%) groups. Patients in the OA and NOA groups exhibited an increase in Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, whereas the number of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were decreased compared with the C group. A total of 398 common operational taxonomic units were identified, of which 27 belonged to the genus Lactobacillus. Furthermore, Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States analysis indicated that the pathogenic species and reduced biodiversity in the semen of patients with azoospermia may result in an increased risk of metabolic, infectious and immune diseases. In the present study, the seminal microbiome of patients with obstructive or non‑obstructive azoospermia was explored, which may be useful for developing novel treatments against azoospermia as well as for its diagnosis.

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