Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40338640›Full record

ArticleeLife2025

Characterisation and comparison of semen microbiota and bacterial load in men with infertility, recurrent miscarriage, or proven fertility.

Shahriar Mowla, Linda Farahani, Tharu Tharakan, Rhianna Davies, Goncalo D S Correia, Yun S Lee, Samit Kundu, Shirin Khanjani, Emad Sindi, Raj Rai and 9 more

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in eLife, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors.

Shahriar Mowla *Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Linda Farahani *Wolfson Fertility Unit, Department of Gynaecology, St. Mary's Hospital, Imperial College NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Tharu TharakanSection of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Rhianna DaviesSection of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6922-4553
Goncalo D S CorreiaInstitute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8271-9294
Yun S LeeInstitute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Samit KunduInstitute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Shirin KhanjaniDepartment of Gynaecology, University College London Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
Emad SindiSection of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Raj RaiWolfson Fertility Unit, Department of Gynaecology, St. Mary's Hospital, Imperial College NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Lesley ReganWolfson Fertility Unit, Department of Gynaecology, St. Mary's Hospital, Imperial College NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Dalia KhalifaDepartment of Andrology, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Ralf HenkelSection of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Suks MinhasDepartment of Urology, Charing Cross Hospital, Imperial College NHS Trus, London, United Kingdom.
Waljit S DhilloSection of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Jara Ben NagiCentre for Reproductive and Genetic Health (CRGH), London, United Kingdom.
Phillip BennettInstitute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
David A MacIntyre *Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4186-5567
Channa N Jayasena *Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2578-8223

Funding

Tommy's National Centre for Miscarriage Research P62774
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Several studies have associated seminal microbiota abnormalities with male infertility but have yielded differing results owing to their limited sizes or depths of analyses. The semen microbiota during recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) has not been investigated. Comprehensively assessing the seminal microbiota in men with reproductive disorders could elucidate its potential role in clinical management. We used semen analysis, terminal-deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated-deoxyuridine-triphosphate-nick-end-labelling, Comet DNA fragmentation, luminol reactive oxidative species (ROS) chemiluminescence, and metataxonomic profiling of semen microbiota by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing in this prospective, cross-sectional study to investigate composition and bacterial load of seminal bacterial genera and species, semen parameters, ROS, and sperm DNA fragmentation in men with reproductive disorders and proven fathers. 223 men were enrolled, including healthy men with proven paternity (n=63), the male partners in a couple encountering RPL (n=46), men with male factor infertility (n=58), and the male partners of couples with unexplained infertility (n=56). Rates of high sperm DNA fragmentation, elevated ROS, and oligospermia were more prevalent in the study group compared with control. In all groups, semen microbiota clustered into three major

Indexed as

Abortion, HabitualBacteriaBacterial LoadInfertility, MaleMicrobiotaSemenAdultCross-Sectional StudiesDNA FragmentationFemaleHumansMaleProspective StudiesRNA, Ribosomal, 16SSemen AnalysisRNA, Ribosomal, 16Sfertilityhumanmedicinemicrobiotasemen

Identifiers

PMID40338640
PMCPMC12061474

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.