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Schistosoma haematobium ova in human semen: a case report
Kazim R Chohan1, Crystal A Kling1, Timothy K Byler2
1Andrology Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Syracuse, New York.
Objective:
To report a rare case of schistosomiasis observed during semen evaluation.
Design:
Case report.
Setting:
University hospital.
Patients:
A 30-year-old man referred for semen analysis.
Interventionss:
None.
Main Outcome Measuress:
Poor sperm motility and viability.
Results:
The patient produced 9.8 mL of brown colored semen with a bad odor. Total and progressive sperm motility were 9% and 2%, respectively. Sperm concentration was 112 million/mL. Microscopic semen evaluation showed slight sperm agglutination, a large number of Schistosoma haematobium ova, extensive debris, and a large numberot of amorphous cells. Approximately 20 million/mL of neutrophils were observed in the ejaculate. The sperm viability was extremely low (13%). Sperm morphology was 6% normal, and most abnormal sperm had coiled tails in addition to other abnormalities.
Conclusions:
A microscopic examination of semen from suspected Schistosoma haematobium-infected patients may not only help in confirming diagnosis but may also highlight the underlying infertility due to this infestation. Such cases are rarely observed in andrology laboratories; therefore, it is important to train all testing staff on rare semen samples.
