Association of Chlamydia Trachomatis Sero-Positivity with Male Infertility in the Niger-Delta Region of Nigeria: A Case–Control Study

Introduction: The role of chlamydia infection in the causation of male infertility has not been conclusively evaluated, especially in the developing countries of sub-Saharan Africa that are worst affected by infertility. Understanding the relationship between the two will guide the deployment of preventive efforts and investigative approaches more scientifically. Patients, Materials, and Methods: This was a case–control study of two groups of males: 68 male partners of infertile couples with abnormal semen parameters attending a fertility clinic and 68 age-matched male partners (with normal semen parameters) of females attending the family planning clinic as controls at two tertiary hospitals in Delta State. The prevalence of chlamydial sero-positivity, the socio-demographic characteristics, sexual and reproductive characteristics, and chlamydial serology of all the participants were determined and compared using appropriate statistical tools. Results: Most (41.2%) of the participants were in the 35–39 years age category; they were all married and were mostly (66.2%) skilled workers. The overall prevalence of chlamydia sero-positivity in this study was 11.8%. The prevalence of chlamydia sero-positivity was significantly higher amongst the study group (19.1%) compared with controls (4.4%) ( P < 001). Chlamydial sero-positivity was significantly associated with oligospermia and teratozoospermia. On bivariate analysis, being in the infertile group (crude OR: 5.12, P = 0.008), history of a genital ulcer (crude OR: 0.124, P = 0.042), and history of dysuria ( P = 0.008) were significantly associated with chlamydial trachomatis sero-positivity. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, none of these covariates were found to be independent predictors of chlamydia trachomatis sero-positivity. Conclusion: There was a significant association between chlamydia trachomatis infection and abnormal semen parameters. There were no identified independent predictors of chlamydia trachomatis sero-positivity.