ArticlePloS one2018
Impact of asymptomatic genital tract infections on in vitro Fertilization (IVF) outcome.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 74 citations in OpenAlex.
- Extracellular Traps at the Crossroads of Immune Evasion and Antimicrobial Resistance: The Case ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Epidemiological and pathogen characteristics of symptomatic male reproductive tract infections in Hunan province: retrospective study.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Multi-omics biomarkers in endometrial receptivity: from mechanisms to clinical translation.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Review
- Catheter contamination during embryo transfer: impact on outcomes of in vitro fertilization.F&S reports · 2026Article
- Quantitative determination of vaginal diamines as a biomarker for vaginal dysbiosis and IVF-ET outcome.Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E · 2026Article
- The Influence of Sexually Transmitted Bacteria and Human Papillomavirus on Sperm Parameters: Data from a Preliminary Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- The novel pseudo-compound transposon TnMicrobial genomics · 2026Article
- The overlooked role of the seminovaginal microbiota in infertility: a narrative mini review.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Review
- Retrospective comparative analysis of pre-IVF vaginal and semen microbiological cultures in infertile couples highlights absence of microbial concordance.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Article
- Deoxycholic Acid Impairs Human Sperm Quality and Function Through Oxidative Stress-Driven Damage.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Human Milk Oligosaccharides Mediate the Host-Microbe Interface in a Model Vaginal Community.ACS infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Lactobacilli Deficiency in Infertile Women Seeking IVF in Arash Hospital: An Imbalance in the Genital Microbiome.Journal of family & reproductive health · 2025Article
- Associations of Ureaplasma urealyticum infection with male infertility and intrauterine insemination outcomes.Asian journal of andrology · 2025Article
- Semen Microbiome, Male Infertility, and Reproductive Health.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- State-of-the-art approaches in the investigation of human seminal bacteriome using metagenomic methods.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2025Review
- Effect of Waiting Period on Initial Adverse Vaginal Microbiome Composition in IVF-ICSI Patients.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Leukocytospermia and/or Bacteriospermia: Impact on Male Infertility.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Effect of environmental factors on seminal microbiome and impact on sperm quality.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Review
- Impact ofFrontiers in endocrinology · 2024Article
- IVF cycle safety when a positive passive air sampling occurs under laminar flow hood in absence of a detectable contamination in the embryo culture.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInfertility is estimated to affect approximately 9-30% of reproductive-aged couples. Several conditions involving one or both partners may contribute to infertility. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of asymptomatic genital tract infections in the outcome of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) in couples with infertility.
methodsA total of 285 infertile couples were enrolled in the study. Vaginal/endocervical swabs and semen samples were collected and subjected to microbiological analysis. Spermiograms were carried out on semen specimens, and lactobacilli were quantified in vaginal swabs. Data were associated with IVF results and analysed by using non parametric tests and multivariate analysis.
resultsMicrobiological analysis showed that 46.3% of couples presented with an asymptomatic genital tract infection. Spermiogram results showed a significantly diminished motility of sperm cells in samples positive to microbiological testing compared to negative specimens. Enterococcus faecalis was the most prevalent species (11.6%) in positive semen samples and was found to negatively affect both sperm morphology (p = 0.026) and motility (p = 0.003). Analysis of genital swabs from females showed that the presence of E. faecalis (p<0.0001), Escherichia coli (p = 0.0123), Streptococcus agalactiae (p<0.0001), and Gardnerella vaginalis (p = 0.0003) was significantly associated to reduced levels of vaginal lactobacilli. Association of microbiological data with IVF outcome showed that 85.7% of IVF+ couples was microbiologically negative, while IVF was successful in just 7.5% of couples infected with E. faecalis and/or U. urealyticum and/or M. hominis (p = 0.02).
conclusionsThe results show the negative impact of E. faecalis on sperm quality and the association of definite bacterial pathogens with reduced levels of vaginal lactobacilli. The presence of E. faecalis and/or U. urealyticum and/or M. hominis in genital samples of infertile couples is predictive for a negative outcome of IVF.
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