[Question #8254] Haemophilus parainfluenzae

47 months ago

Dear Doctor

I am a male, 39 years old. Recently I had a full STD test and it showed that I have bacteria Haemophilus parainfluenzae in urethra and Staphylococcus aureus on glans.

For a very long time I have had only unprotected oral sex, 3-4 times in the last months. The last vaginal sex I had in March, it was protected.

I cannot feel really an symptoms, I do not have pain while urinating, itching. Sometimes maybe discomfort, but I am very anxious and it can be that I only imagine it.

My questions are: is this Haemophilus dangerous in the urethra? Should it be treated?

Also, can it affect an IVF procedure? Me and my partner are now doing this and I should give semen in close future.

Is there anything I should know about this bacteria? And also the other one on the glans?

Thank you.

Fred

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

47 months ago

Welcome back to the forum.

Both Haemophilus parainfluenza and Staph aureus are entirely normal bacteria on the skin, of the penis or anywhere else, and in the meatus (urethral opening). They are not sexually acquired or transmitted, and their presence does not indicate any health problem, especially in absence of symptoms. Neither is from having had oral sex or any other sort of sexual contact.

No standard STD lab panel would test for non-STD bacteria like these. I'm guessing your IVF clinic or doctor tested your urethra (or semen?) for infectious bacteria, in preparation for IVF. You should have a discussion with that doctor or clinic about whether these results need attention before collecting semen for IVF. I can imagine that staph contamination of semen for IVF would not be recommended, but this is entirely outside our expertise on this forum. Your IVF doctor or clinic will know.

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

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47 months ago

Thank you for your quick answer. In fact, the IVF clinic did not ask me to do any STD tests, only HIV, they checked only the motility and quality of the semen. This test was my initiative just to be sure that I am ok for this procedure. But as you suggest, I will talk to the IVF doctor.

Is there any chance that these two bacteria will cause any problems in the future? If yes, should they be treated? I read that the Haemophilus parainfluenzae can cause urethritis for example.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

47 months ago

You should not have had tests for such bacteria on your own. Probably have been carrying both for years with no health impact -- along with many others that were not detected on this particular test -- and no reason to suspect a future problem. Of the two, staph is by far the most important -- it sometimes causes life threatening infections. But everybody has staph on their bodies and in their body cavities from time to time, and picking it up on a culture like this is a normal event. I've never seen a case of urethriits due to haemophilus -- you've found something misleading or not applicable to your situation.

This is a big nothingburger, except for discussing with your IVF doctor or clinic.

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