Urine microbes and predictive metagenomic profiles associate with abnormalities in sperm parameters: implications for male subfertility.

Objective: To explore the taxonomic and predicted functional relationship between the urine microbiome and alterations of semen analysis (SA) parameters.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Academic medical center.

Semen microbiota are dramatically altered in men with abnormal sperm parameters.

There has recently been an explosion of studies implicating the human microbiome in playing a critical role in many disease and wellness states. The etiology of abnormal semen analysis (SA) parameters is not identified in 30% of cases; investigations involving the semen microbiome may bridge this gap. Here, we explore the relationship between the semen microbiome and alterations of sperm parameters.