Detection and evaluation of different morphological forms of Mycoplasma hominis in human semen

Abstract

Recently discovered microcolonial forms of Mycoplasma hominis (M. hominis) and their impact on human spermatogenesis are studied. The spermatozoa of 125 fertile men (sperm donors; from Reprobank [Reproductive Tissue Bank, Moscow, Russia]) and of 93 patients with fertility problems (from the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Research Centre for Medical Genetics [RCMG]”, Moscow, Russia) were used. Classical colonies of M. hominis and microcolonies were detected by molecular biological methods, culture of bacteria, and transmission electron microscopy. The unique structure of microcolonial cells, in which the cytoplasmic cylinder is surrounded by concentric electron-dense and electron-light layers with a periodicity of 12–14 nm, and the ability of microcolonial cells to attach to spermatozoa are shown. In patients with lower sperm quality, microcolonies of M. hominis were detected 2.5 times more frequently than classical colonies. The detection of microcolonies in the ejaculate and the frequent isolation of microcolonies from sperm samples of patients with fertility problems suggest that microcolonial cells may be one cause of infertility.

Keywords

• ejaculate; fertility; mycoplasma hominis; spermatogenesis; transmission electron microscopy