The Effect of Human Papillomavirus Infection on Sperm Cell Motility

Objective: To investigate the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in human sperm cells and to evaluate potential effects of HPV on the sperm functions.

Design: A descriptive clinical study.

Patient(s): Specimens of semen were collected from 24 randomly selected patients who attended the fertility clinics at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.

Main Outcome Measure(s): The presence of HPV DNA and RNA were examined by polymerase chain reaction. Semen quality and sperm cell function were analyzed by computer-aided autoanalyzer.

Result(s): Human papillomavirus type 16 DNA and RNA were found in 6 (25%) and 2 (8%) of the sperm cells specimens, respectively. Human papillomavirus type 18 DNA and RNA were present in 11 (46%) and 5 (21%) of the same sperm cells specimens, respectively. Incidence of asthenozoospermia among patients infected with either HPV was significantly higher than in those without HPV in their sperm cells (75% versus 8%). Although performance of curvilinear velocity, straight-line velocity, and mean amplitude of lateral head displacement was significantly lower in HPV-infected specimens, the differences of linearity, beat cross frequency, and straightness were not statistically significant.

Conclusion(s): These results suggest that human papillomavirus can be found in human sperm cells and that certain HPV-specific genes are actively transcribed. Sperm motility parameters seem to be affected by the presence of HPV in the sperm cells, and also the incidence of asthenozoospermia may be associated with HPV infection.