[Study of the spermatic bacterial flora in infertile males (author's transl)]

Two groups of infertile males (65 and 132 patients) have been investigated in two different laboratories, with two different methods to obtain semen. The bacteriological results are quite similar in the two groups. The microorganisms which have been isolated are : beta-hemolytic Streptococcus, Proteus, Epidermidis staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Corynebacter, Viridans streptococcus, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, Bacillus, Neisseria, Escherichia coli, anaerobic Staphylococcus, anaerobic Streptococcus, anaerobic Corynebacter type IV, Fungus, Achromobacter. 20 p. cent of the patients are chronically infected without any clinical signs. This infection is probably of prostatic origin with an important number of bacteria in the semen (more than 3,000/ml). No relation has been shown between the bacteriological data and the physical and cytological characteristics of the sperm, except the pH : semens with a low pH are generally azoospermic and highly contaminated.