Antibacterial skin preparation decreases the incidence of false-positive semen culture results.

Overview

PURPOSE: Antibacterial skin preparation was used before obtaining semen cultures to assess whether true seminal pathogens could be isolated with greater specificity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 14 paired semen cultures were obtained from men evaluated for infertility. The first set (group 1) was obtained without preparation and the second set (group 2) was obtained after using an antibacterial skin preparation consisting of a shower followed by perineal, penile and hand wash with 4% chlorhexidine and 10% povidone-iodine. The sets were compared and statistical analysis was performed using the paired t test. RESULTS: In group 1, 25 total bacterial isolates were detected compared to 13 in group 2, which was statistically significant (p <0.002). In group 1, 11 enteric organisms were isolated compared to 5 in group 2, which was also statistically significant (p <0.05). These data suggest that the source of most enteric organisms isolated from semen is genital and perineal skin. CONCLUSIONS: A significant reduction in enteric contaminants, which would otherwise be erroneously treated, can be achieved with an effective antibacterial skin preparation. We were able to isolate true pathogens with greater specificity with (80%) than without (63%) an antibacterial skin preparation. An antibacterial skin preparation reduces false-positive cultures by at least 50%, which would lead to a significant reduction in costs and morbidity.