Chlamydia Trachomatis infection in infertile men from Cotonou, Benin

Male infertility accounts for 20-30% cases of infertility, and may be due to hormonal, genetic, toxic or infectious factors. Male urogenital infections caused by Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) are potential causes of male infertility. This study determined the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection among infertile men in Cotonou. The descriptive cross-sectional study used Real time PCR (RT PCR) to detect Chlamydia trachomatis infection on the first urine stream from 90 participants who did sperm analysis for infertility problems between March 2023 and December 2023. The mean age of the patients was 35.31 ± 7.00 years. Most were cases of primary infertility (62.22%), with an average duration of 5 years. The results showed Chlamydia trachomatis genome detection with RT PCR in 3.33% of subjects. Chlamydia trachomatis-positive subjects exhibited leukospermia and low sperm motility. We conclude that Chlamydia trachomatis infection is common and can lead to serious complications, including male infertility. Serological diagnosis lacks specificity and in case of suspected infection, RT-PCR testing is strongly recommended for the detection of CT.