title: Sexually transmitted diseases (STD) in infertile males attending the andrology clinic at Ga-Rankuwa Hospital.
abstract: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) affect the physiology of male/female reproduction.  Chronic bacterial infection of semen is uncommon, but may be a cause of male infertility.  Antibacterial treatment results in improvement in sperm quality, once the infection is eradicated.  Little is known about how infection with Mycoplasma hominis affects semen quality, but treatment with antibiotics improves motility and decreases the percentage of coiled tails.  Chlamydia trachomatis is not frequently isolated from the urethral cultures of normal men, but is a major cause of nongonococcal urethritis and epididymitis.  Chlamydia is an important cause of epididymal and oviductal obstruction. Trichomonas vaginalis most frequently colonizes the vagina and cervix of women and the anterior urethra of the male sexual partners.  The highest prevalence is in sexually active men and women and Trichomoniasis may well be the most common STD.  Syphilis may be an important cofactor in facilitating transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).  A history of syphilis or a positive serologic test for syphilis is associated with HIV seropositivity in men.  In South Africa, the seropositivity in pregnant black women ranges from 11-20%.  Ga-Rankuwa Hospital is the referral center for 40 peripheral hospitals and over 4 million people.  Since the inception of the Andrology Laboratory in June 1985, more than 5300 semen analyses have been performed on 2000 patients.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Bornman
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Crewe-brown
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reif
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Mahomed
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Broomker
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Schulenburg
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D000353:Africa, Southern; D001695:Biology; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D003906:Developing Countries; D003933:Diagnosis; D004194:Disease; D005835:Genitalia; D005837:Genitalia, Male; D015994:Incidence; D007239:Infections; D007246:Infertility; D008403:Mass Screening; D010827:Physiology; D012098:Reproduction; D012106:Research; D012107:Research Design; D012661:Semen; D012669:Seminal Vesicles; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases; D013019:South Africa; D014566:Urogenital System
keywords: Africa; Africa South Of The Sahara; Biology; Developing Countries; Diseases; English Speaking Africa; Examinations And Diagnoses; Genital Effects, Male; Genitalia; Genitalia, Male; Incidence; Infections; Infertility--men; Laboratory Examinations And Diagnoses; Measurement; Physiology; Reproduction; Reproductive Tract Infections; Research Methodology; Screening; Semen; Seminal Vesicles; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; South Africa; Southern Africa; Urogenital Effects; Urogenital System