title: Persistent cytomegalovirus infection of semen increases risk of AIDS.
abstract: To evaluate if persistent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection of semen in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) antibody-positive men increases AIDS risk, serial cultures for CMV every 3-6 months were attempted four or more times from 164 men followed 3 years. CMV was never isolated from 58 men, in 1 or 2 samples from 54 (intermittently positive), and in > or = 3 samples from 52 (persistently positive). The Cox model was used to estimate relative hazards while controlling for CD4 cell number. The relative hazard was 2.9 for those intermittently and 4.0 for those persistently positive (P < .001). No Kaposi's sarcoma occurred in culture-negative men, 3 cases (5.6%) in intermittently positive men, and 4 cases (7.7%) in persistently positive men (P < .04). Persistent CMV in semen increases the hazard of AIDS in HIV-1 antibody-positive men, possibly by activating CD4 cells to produce HIV-1. Thus, control of CMV in HIV-1-infected persons may slow progression to AIDS.
authors.affiliation: Los Angeles Center of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, University of California, Los Angeles 90024-1772.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Detels
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Leach
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hennessey
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Visscher
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Cherry
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Giorgi
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D001727:Bisexuality; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000502:physiology*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology; D012661:Semen / Q000382:microbiology*