HPV seminal shedding among men seeking fertility evaluation in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
BACKGROUND
Little is known about the semen shedding of human papillomaviruses (HPV) in African men.


OBJECTIVE
To detect and identify HPV types in semen samples from men seeking fertility evaluation in Abidjan, Ivory Cost.


METHODS
Sixty-three semen samples were tested by PCR using consensus primers and HPV types were determined by PCR product sequencing or by line probe assay (LiPA) when sequencing was inconclusive.


RESULTS
A total of 19 HPV isolates belonging to 11 HPV types were identified in semen samples from 18 (28.6%) men. Ten (55.5%) of the HPV-positive men shed oncogenic HPV types. An association of borderline significance (P=0.06) was observed between HPV semen shedding and a lower sperm count.


CONCLUSIONS
HPV shedding in semen is common in African men. The relationship between HPV semen shedding and sperm quality merits to be further investigated.
Didelot-Rousseau
Marie-Noelle
MN
Laboratoire de Virologie, Hôpital Saint-Eloi, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU), 80 Avenue Augustin Fliche, Montpellier, France.
Diafouka
François
F
Yayo
Eric
E
Kouadio
Luc-Philippe
LP
Monnet
Dagui
D
Segondy
Michel
M
D000328:Adult; D007560:Cote d'Ivoire; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012661:Semen / Q000821:virology*