OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) sperm infection and its correlation with sperm parameters in patients who attended a fertility clinic.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional clinical study.
SETTING: University-affiliated reproductive medicine clinic.
PATIENT(S): A total of 308 male partners of couples undergoing in vitro fertilization techniques.
INTERVENTION(S): Specimens of semen were collected from all patients.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Sperm parameters were evaluated according to the World Health Organization manual. The presence of HPV DNA was researched by the combined use of two HPV assays and a highly sensitive nested polymerase chain reaction assay followed by HPV genotyping. To examine whether HPV was associated with the sperm, in situ hybridization (ISH) analysis was performed.
RESULT(S): Results of HPV investigation were compared with sperm parameters and ISH analysis. Twenty-four out of 308 semen samples (7.8%) were HPV DNA positive, but HPV infection did not seem to affect semen quality. Moreover, ISH revealed a clear HPV localization at the equatorial region of sperm head in infected samples.
CONCLUSION(S): Oncogenic HPV genotypes were detected on spermatozoa from asymptomatic subjects, but a role of the infection in male infertility was not demonstrated.
Written by:
Schillaci R, Capra G, Bellavia C, Ruvolo G, Scazzone C, Venezia R, Perino A. Are you the author?
Dipartimento di Scienze per la Promozione della Salute e Materno Infantile "G. d'Alessandro", University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Reference: Fertil Steril. 2013 Jul 24. pii: S0015-0282(13)00742-5.
doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2013.06.042
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 23891022
UroToday.com Male Infertility & Reproduction Section
