(147) Varicocele Induction Alters the Testicular Microbiome: An Immunofluorescence Study
Abstract
Background: The male reproductive seminal microbiome is associated with male infertility in work by our group and others, and preliminary data from our lab suggests that the presence of a varicocele further alters local male reproductive microbiome. To date, no published data has directly assessed the anatomic distribution of these resident bacteria within the testicle, epididymis, or elsewhere in the reproductive tract.
This study aimed to investigate and quantify changes in bacterial presence within different compartments of the male reproductive system following experimentally induced varicocele.
Fresh tissue samples from the left and right testicle and epididymis were obtained from rats following an established surgical varicocele induction model and compared to healthy controls.. Samples were fixed, sectioned and stained with a universal FISH probe capable of identifying bacteria (EUB338) and counterstained with DAPI for nuclear visualization and anti-smooth muscle actin antibody to delineate tissue architecture. Images were captured using fluorescence and confocal microscopy. Bacterial counts per square millimeter (mm2) were quantified for each sample group. A Kruskal-Wallis Test and Post-Hoc Bonferroni correction were used to determine statistically significant differences.
Quantitative analysis revealed no statistically significant difference in bacterial load between epididymis and testicle in healthy rodents (p > 0.05). However, a significant increase (p < 0.0001)…
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