HIV infection of the male genital tract – consequences for sexual transmission and reproduction
نویسندگان
چکیده
Despite semen being the main vector of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) dissemination worldwide, the origin of the virus in this bodily fluid remains unclear. It was recently shown that several organs of the male genital tract (MGT) are infected by HIV/simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and likely to contribute to semen viral load during the primary and chronic stages of the infection. These findings are important in helping answer the following questions: (i) does the MGT constitute a viral reservoir responsible for the persistence of virus release into the semen of a subset of HIV-infected men under antiretroviral therapy, who otherwise show an undetectable blood viral load? (ii) What is the aetiology of the semen abnormalities observed in asymptomatic HIV-infected men? (iii) What is the exact nature of the interactions between the spermatozoa, their testicular progenitors and HIV, an important issue in the context of assisted reproductive techniques proposed for HIV-seropositive (HIV+) men? Answers to these questions are crucial for the design of new therapeutic strategies aimed at eradicating the virus from the genital tract of HIV+ men--thus reducing its sexual transmission--and for improving the care of serodiscordant couples wishing to have children. This review summarizes the most recent literature on HIV infection of the male genital tract, discusses the above issues in light of the latest findings and highlights future directions of research.
منابع مشابه
P-15: Expression of Intercellular Toll-Like Receptors in Male Genital Tract
Background: In the past decade, childlessness has become a most important problem in the world. At the same time evidence confirms a link between sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and infertility problem. Some of viral STDs are: HIV, HPV, HSVand so on. The innate immune system is essential for the initial detection of invading viruses and subsequent activation of adaptive immunity. also, The...
متن کاملExpression of structural proteins in human female and male genital epithelia and implications for sexually transmitted infections.
Men and women differ in their susceptibility to sexually transmittable infections (STIs) such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, a paucity of published information regarding the tissue structure of the human genital tract has limited our understanding of these gender differences. We collected cervical, vaginal, and penile tissues from human adult donors. Tissues were prepared with ...
متن کاملSemen-specific genetic characteristics of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 env.
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in the male genital tract may comprise virus produced locally in addition to virus transported from the circulation. Virus produced in the male genital tract may be genetically distinct, due to tissue-specific cellular characteristics and immunological pressures. HIV-1 env sequences derived from paired blood and semen samples from the Los Alamos HIV S...
متن کاملDoes HIV Exploit the Inflammatory Milieu of the Male Genital Tract for Successful Infection?
In many parts of the World, medical male circumcision (MMC) is used as standard prevention of care against HIV infection. This is based on seminal reports made over 10 years ago that removal of the foreskin provides up to 60% protection against HIV infection in males and seems currently the best antiretroviral-free prevention strategy yet against the global epidemic. We explore the potential me...
متن کاملLong-term persistence of transmitted HIV drug resistance in male genital tract secretions: implications for secondary transmission.
BACKGROUND Transmitted drug-resistant HIV slowly reverts in the blood to drug-sensitive virus. The environment of the male genital tract (MGT) may result in even slower rates of reversion to drug susceptibility. METHODS We measured the decay of resistance in longitudinally collected blood and semen samples from 5 individuals newly infected with HIV containing resistance mutations to nonnucleo...
متن کامل