Abstract Study question Is there any correlation between men infertility and HPV infection and its impairment on sperm quality? Summary answer There is a significantly higher prevalence of high-risk HPV in infertile men than fertile men. HPV infection does not impair sperm quality. What is known already Many factors may cause the infertility in males and females. Human papillomavirus are the most frequently sexually transmitted DNA viruses and etiological agents of cervical cancers. There is association between HPV infection in females and adverse pregnancy outcomes such as spontaneous abortion and spontaneous preterm delivery. Previous studies have reported the detection of HPV DNA in semen and in different sites of the male reproductive tract, such as glans penis and scrotum. Recent reports suggested that HPV may affect sperm parameters and lead to male infertility. The impact of HPV infection upon male fertility abnormality has received far less attention. Study design, size, duration In this study case control study we examined 38 fertile and 36 men from infertle couples. Participants/materials, setting, methods we examined the swabs of the entire penile surface and semen samples for HPV detection and genotyping from 38 fertile men and 36 from men from infertile couples.HPV were detected with PCR method. Sperm was also examined for its motility, sperm quantity and morphology . Main results and the role of chance Among 36 confirmed infertile males, only 8 (22.22%) cases were tested positive for HPV of semen samples and 2 among fertile men were HPV-positive (5.26%) of semen samples. Among infertile males 14 (38.88%) had HPV positive penile swabs, and only 1 (2,63%) had positive HPV swab among fertile men. The most prevalent HPV types in the male external genitalia were HPV–16. The most prevalent HPV types in semen were HPV–53. This data revealed a significant association between high-risk HPV and male infertility (P = 0.03). Sperm quality (morphology and motility) did not differ significantly between men with seminal HPV infection and uninfected men. Limitations, reasons for caution There were some limitations in the study such as differences in age. sample sizes and the number of HPV genotypes detected. Wider implications of the findings: We need larger studies and more further investigations to confirm the impact of HPV on male infertility. Trial registration number 2