Excretion of cytomegalovirus in semen associated with HTLV-III seropositivity in asymptomatic homosexual men.
We studied 56 asymptomatic homosexual male volunteers in Pittsburgh for 1 1/2 yr for relationships between cytomegalovirus (CMV) and human T-lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III) infections. CMV was most frequently isolated from semen (8%) as compared with throat washings (5.9%) and urine (0%) on initial testing of CMV-seropositive subjects. Other viruses commonly isolated from immunosuppressed patients (herpes simplex virus, adenovirus) were rarely detected in this cohort. Seropositivity to HTLV-III was significantly associated with isolation of CMV from semen in our asymptomatic cohort (odds ratio = 9.5, p = .008). These results suggest that HTLV-III infection is associated with selective, temporal activation of CMV in the genital tract of asymptomatic homosexual men.
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications; D006678:HIV / Q000276:immunology*; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012661:Semen / Q000382:microbiology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D015483:HIV Antibodies