{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,23]],"date-time":"2025-10-23T04:24:44Z","timestamp":1761193484679,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,21]],"date-time":"2025-10-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761004800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JoX"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Irregular use of antibiotics is widespread in Nigeria, which has been reported to be associated with the prevalence of antibiotic resistance. As antibiotics have been reported to be associated with declining male infertility in animal models, we investigated the association between exposure to antibiotics and sperm quality. The study was a prospective case\u2013control study involving 136 infertile men and 154 fertile men recruited from five hospitals in southern Nigeria. Semen analysis was carried out, while Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry was used to assay for various antibiotics in urinary samples. Three antibiotics showed an independent association with sperm quality in the regression analysis. Urinary ampicillin was associated with more than a 3 mL decline in sperm count in the cases, with no significant effects shown in the control group. Similarly, a significant association of urinary chloramphenicol with sperm motility and sperm morphology was shown in cases of infertility. In contrast, an independent association of urinary tetracycline with increased sperm motility in men with infertility was found, but no significant association was shown in fertile men. We conclude that urinary antibiotics\u2014ampicillin, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol\u2014may be associated with varying sperm characteristics and sperm quality in Nigerian men.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jox15050172","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,21]],"date-time":"2025-10-21T14:17:35Z","timestamp":1761056255000},"page":"172","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Association Between Antibiotic Exposure and the Risk of Male Infertility: A Case\u2013Control Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Friday E.","family":"Okonofua","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, University of Benin, Benin City 300213, Nigeria"},{"name":"Women\u2019s Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC), Benin City 300283, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lorretta Favour C.","family":"Ntoimo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Women\u2019s Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC), Benin City 300283, Nigeria"},{"name":"Department of Demography and Social Statistics, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Oye-Ekiti 371104, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9621-5051","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Titus A. M.","family":"Msagati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, The Science Campus, University of South Africa, Corner Pioneer Avenue and Christiaan De Wet, Roodepoort, Johannesburg 1709, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3006-5812","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Oladiran","family":"Ayodeji","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Medical Sciences, Ilaje, Ondo 351104, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Aziken","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, University of Benin, Benin City 300213, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Akhere","family":"Omonkhua","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Biochemistry, School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Benin, Benin City 300213, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6311-7239","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Victor","family":"Ohenhen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Central Hospital, Benin City 300102, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-7468-0129","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Celestina","family":"Olafusi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry, University of Medical Sciences, Ilaje, Ondo 351104, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1006-277X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Moses O.","family":"Alfred","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical Sciences, Redeemer\u2019s University, Ede 232101, Nigeria"},{"name":"African Centre of Excellence for Water and Environmental Research (ACEWATER), Redeemer\u2019s University, Ede 232101, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"319","article-title":"The Epidemiology of Infertility: A Review with Particular Reference to Sub-Saharan Africa","volume":"54","author":"Belsey","year":"1976","journal-title":"Bull. 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