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Infection et fertilité —Corynebacterium seminale: point de vue du bactériologiste

Infection and fertility — Corynebacterium seminale: a microbiological point of view

Andrologie volume 11, pages 155–159 (2001)Cite this article

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Les corynébactéries sont des bacilles Gram positif caractérisés par une forme irrégulière. Elles sont fréquemment isolées de divers prélèvements notamment de patients présentant une infection urogénitale. Nous présentons deux études effectuées dans deux laboratoires différents ayant pour but de déterminer la nature exacte des corynébactéries isolées du sperme de patients consultant pour infertilité du couple. Nous avons particulièrement recherchéCorynebacterium seminale (synonymeC. glucuronolyticum) qui est une espèce décrite en 1995 à partir de souches isolées de prélèvements urogénitaux. La première étude effectuée à partir de 420 patients a permis de reconnaître queC. seminale était l’espèce la plus fréquemment isolée avec un fort comptage bactérien. Les autres espèces de corynébactéries sont plus souvent rencontrée avec un faible comptage. La deuxième étude basée sur 1902 examens spermatiques a montré queC. seminale est plus fréquemment corrélée avec une anomalie du spermogramme que les autres espèces de corynébactéries. Ces études démontrent que le pouvoir pathogène des espèces formant les corynébactéries n’est pas similaire et incite à des études complémentaires de pathogénicité prenant en compte l’identification de ces espèces.

Abstract

The authors present two independent studies designed to identify corynebacteria isolated from the semen of patients consulting for infertility. Corynebacteria were identified by conventional biochemical and physiological tests and by determination of volatile fatty acids. In the first study based on 420 patients, the commonest species were Corynebacterium seminale (synonym C. glucuronolyticum) found in 7.4% of specimens, CDC group G (5%) and C. amycolatum (3.8%). Of the 92 semen specimens with more than 103 cfu/ml, 44 were positive for corynebacteria, including 15 C. seminale strains, whereas streptococci, staphylococci and enterobacteriacae were found in 23, 18 and 6 of the 420 specimens, respectively. The presence of C. seminale was more frequently associated with a high bacteria count than the other corynebacteria (p<0.02). In the second study, we compared the presence of corynebacteria in the semen of 1,902 patients with semen indices. C. seminale was present at levels greater than 103 cfu/ml in 2.7% of these specimens, while several other species of corynebacteria were detected in 5.3% of cases. Normal motility was found in only 25.4% of semen specimens with a high C. seminale count in contrast with 45% of specimens containing similar counts of other corynebacteria.

These studies demonstrate that the isolation rates from human genital specimens and their clinical implications are different according to the species isolated. Microbiologists should be aware of the need to accurately identify these corynebacteria for further in vitro or in vivo studies on genital infections.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Bactériologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Toulouse

    P. Riegel

  2. Centre de Diagnostic Biologique, Laboratoire des Carmes, Toulouse

    J P. Lepargneur

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  1. P. Riegel
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  2. J P. Lepargneur
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Correspondence to P. Riegel.

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Communication au XVIIème Congrès de la SALF, 7–9 décembre 2000, bordeaux.

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Riegel, P., Lepargneur, J.P. Infection et fertilité —Corynebacterium seminale: point de vue du bactériologiste. Androl. 11, 155–159 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03036640

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Basic and Clinical Andrology

ISSN: 2051-4190