Authors

Rosaria Schillaci, Ph.D., Giuseppina Capra, Ph.D., Carmela Bellavia, Ph.D., Giovanni Ruvolo, Ph.D., Concetta Scazzone, Ph.D., Renato Venezia, M.D., Antonio Perino, M.D.

Volume 100, Issue 5, Pages 1236-1240, November 2013

Abstract

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.

Read the full text at: http://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(13)00742-5/fulltext