HUMAN PAPILLOMA VIRUS (HPV) INFECTION OF THE MALE GENITAL TRACT. STUDY OF LOCAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, INDUCED IMMUNE RESPONSE AND ALTERATIONS IN FERTILITY

Washington

Conferencia; 34th International Papillomavirus Conference & Basic Science, Clinical and Public Health Workshops. International Papillomavirus Society. USA.; 2023

INTRODUCTION: HPV infection in general male population remain an underexplored field. Although some reports associate HPV with certain seminal alterations, others reported no disturbances. Most of them do not analyze concomitant presence of other STI and their effects. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether HPV alone or coinfecting with other STI is associate with semen inflammation and impaired sperm quality.METHODS: 168 male patients aged 20-61 attending urology clinic were enrolled. Control group was composed by patients without leukocytospermia and negative for all the STI tested. Semen samples were analyzed for HPV by PCR and genotyped by RFLP. The presence of C.trachomatis, U.urealiticum, M.hominis, M.genitalium, T.vaginallis, N.gonorrhoeae, T.pallidum, and HSV was screened by PCR. Seminal quality was evaluated according to WHO guidelines. Semen leukocyte subpopulations, reactive oxygen species and sperm viability were analyzed by flow cytometry.RESULTS: 39/168 semen samples were positive for HPV, being 49% high risk oncogenic genotypes. The 74% HPV+ samples were co-infecting with at least one of the other pathogens. Patients solely HPV+ do not show leukocytospermia (peroxidase+ cells). No difference in seminal lymphocytes CD4+/CD8+, monocytes or granulocytes were found between HPV+ and control groups. Patients solely HPV infected showed increased sperm necrosis (p=0.048). HPV alone was not associated to significant alterations in semen quality, however, when HPV was coinfecting with certain pathogens (C. trachomatis, M. hominis or T. vaginallis) more seminal parameter alterations were observed with respect to HPV or other infections separately (table I).CONCLUSIONS. Herein we show that HPV infection alone does not associate to semen inflammation or altered sperm quality. Nevertheless, HPV seems to potentiate harmful effects when coinfecting with other STI. Our data contributes to understand the real effect of HPV on male genital tract highlighting the importance of excluding the confounding effects of other not assayed coinfections.