Microbiological and serological study in cases of infertility with or without sterility with particular emphasis on the etiological role of Chlamydia trachomatis

: Microbiological investigations were carried out on two groups of men and women--a) with genital non gonococcal pathology and--b) in infertile/sterile people of the same sex and age (mean age 28.4 y) with the aim to document in them the prevalence of various microorganisms particularly of Mycoplasma/Ureaplasma and Chlamydia trachomatis as aetiological agent of their pathology. Serum antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis were also studied by microimmunofluorescence, immunoperoxidase and ELISA methods in the same population in comparison with apparently healthy blood donors of the same sex and age as control. Finally, 56 infertile/sterile couples were included in this study to investigate the possible role of Chl. trachomatis. Various microorganisms were isolated more frequently from women of the group b) (45.5%-22.9% respectively p less than 0.01). Mycoplasma/Ureaplasma in comparison with Chl. trachomatis were prevalent in all groups investigated (p less than 0.01). Infertile/sterile women had higher anti Chl. trachomatis antibodies than did women with genital non gonococcal pathology or women of the control group (p less than 0.01). Mycoplasma/Ureaplasma strains were isolated from infertile/sterile couples more frequently than Chl. trachomatis but the women of these couples had high titres (greater than 128) of anti Chl. trachomatis antibodies. Finally, IgA as well as IgG anti Chl. trachomatis antibodies were demonstrated in two out of nine peritoneal fluid samples obtained from women affected by PID. In one case, a pregnancy underwent after an ad hoc therapy of the two partners from whom two Ureaplasma strains were isolated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)