title: In vitro effect of Escherichia coli on human sperm acrosome reaction.
abstract: Escherichia coli are known to reduce human sperm motility. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether these bacteria may also affect the acrosome reaction, which is another important sperm function. The acrosome reaction was determined in spermatozoa from 29 fertile men by triple stain after 3-h incubation at 37 degrees C with 2 x 10(6) E. coli/mL or without bacteria (control). Each sample was treated with 0.1% DMSO (spontaneous acrosome reaction) or calcium ionophore A23187 (induced acrosome reaction) for 1 h at 37 degrees C. The inducibility of the acrosome reaction was significantly lower in semen samples pretreated with E. coli than in the control samples (9.8 +/- 4.2% vs. 12.7 +/- 5.3%; p < .05). The results demonstrate that E. coli affect the inducibility of the acrosome reaction in vitro and may impair the fertilizing capacity of human spermatozoa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Andrology, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: K F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: el-Mulla
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Köhn
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dandal
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: el Beheiry
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Schiefer
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Weidner
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Schill
mesh_terms: D000177:Acrosome / Q000502:physiology*; D000001:Calcimycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004396:Coloring Agents; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D000001:Calcimycin; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide