Table 3.
The counts (log10 plasmid gene copies/ml sperm; mean ± SD) of total bacteria and three common groups of bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, Corynebacterium sp. and Staphylococcus sp., in study samples as revealed by qPCR
| Bacterial groups | Semen | Washed sperm | Incubated sperm | IVF culture media | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total bacteria | 5.79 ± 0.44a,b,c | 5.17 ± 0.53a | 4.92 ± 0.36b | 4.85 ± 0.28c | a,b,c p < 0.001 |
| Enterobacteriaceae | 4.67 ± 0.89a,b | 3.92 ± 0.26a,c,d | 3.43 ± 0.31b,d | 3.95 ± 0.56c |
a p < 0.005 b,c p < 0.001 d p = 0.008 |
| Corynebacterium sp. | 4.51 ± 0.67a,b,c | 3.78 ± 1.01a | 4.04 ± 0.35b | 3.36 ± 0.49c | a,b,c p < 0.001 |
| Staphylococcus sp. | 3.55 ± 0.33 | 0 | 0 | 2.58 | NS |
a,b,c,d Indicate the compared pairs of values that resulted in statistically significant differences (p value less than 0.05, given in the last column)