Infection of semen-producing organs by SIV during the acute and chronic stages of the disease.
BACKGROUND
Although indirect evidence suggests the male genital tract as a possible source of persistent HIV shedding in semen during antiretroviral therapy, this phenomenon is poorly understood due to the difficulty of sampling semen-producing organs in HIV+ asymptomatic individuals.


RESULTS
Using a range of molecular and cell biological techniques, this study investigates SIV infection within reproductive organs of macaques during the acute and chronic stages of the disease. We demonstrate for the first time the presence of SIV in the testes, epididymides, prostate and seminal vesicles as early as 14 days post-inoculation. This infection persists throughout the chronic stage and positively correlates with blood viremia. The prostate and seminal vesicles appear to be the most efficiently infected reproductive organs, followed by the epididymides and testes. Within the male genital tract, mostly T lymphocytes and a small number of germ cells harbour SIV antigens and RNA. In contrast to the other organs studied, the testis does not display an immune response to the infection. Testosteronemia is transiently increased during the early phase of the infection but spermatogenesis remains unaffected.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study reveals that SIV infection of the macaque male genital tract is an early event and that semen-producing organs display differential infection levels and immune responses. These results help elucidate the origin of HIV in semen and constitute an essential base to improving the design of antiretroviral therapies to eradicate virus from semen.
Le Tortorec
Anna
A
INSERM U625, Rennes, University of Rennes I, Groupe d'Etude de la Reproduction chez l'Homme et les Mammifères, IFR 140, Campus de Beaulieu, Rennes, France.
Le Grand
Roger
R
Denis
Hélène
H
Satie
Anne-Pascale
AP
Mannioui
Karim
K
Roques
Pierre
P
Maillard
Anne
A
Daniels
Sylvanne
S
Jégou
Bernard
B
Dejucq-Rainsford
Nathalie
N
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005837:Genitalia, Male / Q000821:virology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012661:Semen; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D013048:Specimen Handling; D019562:Viral Load
D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral