Archives of Applied Science Research (2011): Effects of Ivermectin therapy on the sperm functions of Nigerian onchcerciasis† patients
†onchocerciasis == river blindness
Rationale for them to perform this study:
… a recent report showed that 85% of all male patients treated in a particular centre with ivermectin in the recent past who went to the laboratory for routine tests were discovered to have developed various forms, grades and degrees of sperm dysfunctions including, low sperm counts, poor sperm morphologies (two heads, Tiny heads Double tails absence of tail’s, Albino sperm calls), azoospermia and poor sperm motility [6]. Several studies done on animals also showed similar findings [7, 8].
And their conclusion:
We observed significant reduction in the sperm counts and sperm motility of the patients tested. On the morphology there was significant increase in the number of abnormal sperm cells. This took the forms of two heads, double tails, white (albino) sperms and extraordinarily large heads. It is suspected that the above alterations in the already determined parameters of the patients’ sperm cells could only have occurred as a result of their treatment with ivermectin.
According to this article, Ivermectin affects the following:
- Morphology (weird shapes)
- Motility (can’t swim)
- Sperm count
There was a significant drop in the sperm counts of the patients after their treatment with ivermectin. For example in a particular patient the sperm count dropped from 125 million cells per ml of sperm before therapy with ivermectin to 105 million per ml after the treatment
6*[Normal Control Range = 60 – 120 x 10 per ml, see table 1]. There was also a significant reduction in the motility of the cells after the treatment with ivermectin. These reductions were not concurrent, nor where they in proportion to one another. As for the morphology, there was a significant increase in the number of abnormal cells after the treatment with ivermectin *[Normal control Range of normal motility = above 50%, see table 1].
Not just counts, but motility, too:
Also sperm motility was found to reduce drastically (see table 3) when pre ivermectin and post ivermectin motility tests are compared. Sperm with abnormal morphology were also found to have increased after ivermectin therapy as shown in table 4
Darwin? Is that you?