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Review
. 2022 Sep 6;32(1):16.
doi: 10.1186/s12610-022-00165-9.

Human seminal virome: a panel based on recent literature

Beatriz Helena Dantas Rodrigues de Albuquerque  1 , Maryana Thalyta Ferreira Camara de Oliveira  1 , Janaína Ferreira Aderaldo  1   2   3 , Mychelle de Medeiros Garcia Torres  1   2   3 , Daniel Carlos Ferreira Lanza  4   5
Affiliations
Review

Human seminal virome: a panel based on recent literature

Beatriz Helena Dantas Rodrigues de Albuquerque et al. Basic Clin Androl. .

Abstract
in English, French

Background: The seminal virome and its implications for fertility remain poorly understood. To date, there are no defined panels for the detection of viruses of clinical interest in seminal samples.

Results: In this study, we characterized the human seminal virome based on more than 1,000 studies published over the last five years.

Conclusions: The number of studies investigating viruses that occur in human semen has increased, and to date, these studies have been mostly prospective or related to specific clinical findings. Through the joint analysis of all these studies, we have listed the viruses related to the worsening of seminal parameters and propose a new panel with the main viruses already described that possibly affect male fertility and health. This panel can assist in evaluating semen quality and serve as a tool for investigation in cases of infertility.

RéSUMé: CONTEXTE: Le virome séminal et ses implications pour la fertilité restent mal compris. À ce jour, il n’existe pas de panels définis pour la détection des virus d’intérêt clinique dans les échantillons de sperme. RéSULTATS: Dans cette étude, nous avons caractérisé le virome séminal humain sur la base de plus de 1000 études publiées au cours des cinq dernières années. CONCLUSIONS: Le nombre d’études portant sur les virus présents dans le sperme humain a augmenté et, à ce jour, ces études ont principalement été prospectives ou liées à des résultats cliniques spécifiques. Grâce à l’analyse conjointe de toutes ces études, nous avons répertorié les virus liés à l’aggravation des paramètres spermatiques, et nous proposons un nouveau panel avec les principaux virus déjà décrits qui peuvent affecter la fertilité et la santé masculines. Ce panel peut aider à évaluer la qualité du sperme et servir d’outil d’investigation dans les cas d’infertilité.

Keywords: HBV; HCV; HIV; HPV; SARS-COV-2; infertility; semen; viral semen infection.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of the literature review and study selection process
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Number of articles related to viruses and semen published from 1958 to 2021. The X-axis corresponds to the year of publication and the Y-axis represents the number of articles published per year
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Overview of viruses detected in semen in this review and their associations with seminal parameters. The X-axis corresponds to the virus detected in human semen in the last five years, and the Y-axis represents the number of papers published. Abbreviations: HIV: Human immunodeficiency virus; ZIKV: Zika virus; EBOV: Ebola virus; HPV: Human papillomavirus; HCMV: Human cytomegalovirus; HSV 1/2: Herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2; EBV: Epstein-Barr virus; HVV-6: Human herpesvirus-6; HBV: Hepatitis B virus; SARS-CoV-2: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; LASV: Lassa virus; HHV-8: Human herpesvirus-8; VZV: Varicella zoster virus; HEV: Hepatitis E virus; HHV-7: Human herpesvirus-7; AVs: Anelloviruses; SFTSV: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus; NiV: Nipah virus; WNV: West Nile virus; AAV: Adeno-associated virus; ANDV: Andes virus; DENV: Dengue virus; YFV: Yellow Fever Virus; JCPyV: JC polyomavirus; CHIKV: Chikungunya virus; RVFV: Rift Valley fever virus; HCV: Hepatitis C virus.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Panel of viruses of medical importance to be analyzed in infertile men. Abbreviations: HPV, human papillomavirus; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HSV1/2, herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2; HCMV, human cytomegalovirus; HVV-6, human herpesvirus-6; VZV, varicella-zoster virus; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; ZIKV, zika virus; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; HCV, hepatitis C virus; HEV, hepatitis E virus; EBOV, Ebola virus
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