OBJECTIVETo study the infection of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and herpes simplex virus type II (HSV-I) and the morphological characteristics of the infected spermatogenic cells in the semen of infertile men.

METHODSWe washed and concentrated the spermatogenic cells obtained from 83 semen samples of infertile men, extracted DNA and then screened HCMV and HSV-II by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Immunocytochemistry (ICC) was used to detect the expression of correlative virus antigens of the positive semen cells, and the cytology smear was employed to observe the morphological changes of the spermatogenic cells under the microscope after cytology staining.

RESULTSOf all the semen samples, 8 were HCMV positive, 4 HSV-II positive, but none were both HCMV and HSV-II positive. HCMV late antigens were positively and HCMV early antigens negatively expressed in the spermatogenic cells of the 8 HCMV positive cases. In the 4 HSV-II positive cases, 3 were positively and 1 weakly positively expressed. In the semen of the 12 positive cases were found large numbers of immature spermatogenic cells, with different manifestations of apoptosis, such as chromatin pycnosis, vacuoles, damaged nuclear membrane, and apoptotic bodies, but without virus infection-induced specific morphological alteration. Sperm concentration of the positive group was significantly lower than that of the negative (P < 0. 05).

CONCLUSIONSpermatogenic cells infected by HCMV and HSV-II may cause pathologic lesions and affect spermatogenesis. Morphologically, the infected spermatogenic cells may undergo some pathologic alteration, such as apoptosis. The rate of HCMV infection is higher among infertile males with pathologic cells in the semen.