[Etiological study of low fertility in eastern Gaboon. I. Scheme and first findings (author's transl)]

The etiological study conducted in 1975 in Haut-Ogooué and Ogooué-Lolo included 1,548 patients male and female. In the 21 investigated areas the patients were asked questions and examined by a medical team which took swabs so that bacterial, parastic, immunological and genetical assays could be carried out. The object of this article is to review the feasibility of such a local inquiry and state the first findings. Abnormalities of the epididymis are more commonly verified in non-fertile men. Microfilaremia is related to the presence of hydroceles and epididymis lesions. It shows more often in men with less than 3 children. The authors do not refer to any of physiopathology to explain these findings which need to be ascertained in further inquiries.