Table 1 Characteristics, taxonomy, clinical presentation, and effects on male reproductive health of the viruses in semen
From: Human seminal virome: a panel based on recent literature
Virus | Family | Genus | Genome | Clinical presentation | Sexual transmission reported (Y/N/NA) | Effect on male reproductive health | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HIV | Retroviridae | Lentivirus | ssRNA (RT) | Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) | Y | Orchitis, “Sertoli Cell only” syndrome, hypogonadism, abnormal sperm parameters and infertility | Teixeira et al., 2021 [7]; Dulioust et al., 2002 [13]; Nicopoullos et al., 2004 [14]; Bujan et al., 2007 [15]; Wong, Levy and Stephenson, 2017 [16]; Pudney and Anderson, 1991 [17]; Poretsky, Can and Zumoff, 1995 [18]; Shevchuk et al., 1999 [19]. |
ZIKV | Flaviviridae | Flavivirus | ssRNA (+) | Zika fever and congenital Zika leading to microcephaly and other central nervous system disorders | Y | Abnormal sperm parameters, orchitis, epididymo-orchitis, and infertility in mouse models | Teixeira et al., 2021 [7]; Govero et al., 2016 [20]; Vanegas et al., 2021 [21]; Huits et al., 2017 [22]; Joguet et al., 2017 [23]; Ma et al., 2016 [24]; Le Tortorec et al., 2020 [25]. |
EBOV | Filoviridae | Ebolavirus | ssRNA (-) | Ebola virus disease (EVD) | Y | Testis as an anatomic reservoir for persistence, erectile dysfunction and decreased libido | Teixeira et al., 2021 [7]; Guetiya et al., 2017 [26]; de St Maurice et al., 2018 [27]; Thorson et al., 2021 [28]. |
HPV | Papillomaviridae | α-, β-, γ- Papillomavirus | dsDNA | Warts and preneoplastic lesions associated to genital, anal and oropharyngeal cancers | Y | Anti-sperm antibody, abnormal sperm parameters, subfertility and infertility | Liu et al., 2018 [6]; Teixeira et al., 2021 [7]; Bezold et al., 2007 [29]; Garolla et al., 2013 [30]; Foresta et al., 2010 [31]; Connelly et al., 2001 [32]; Moghimi et al., 2019 [33]; Piroozmand et al., 2020 [34]; Moreno-Sepulveda and Rajmil, 2021 [35]. |
HCMV | Herpesviridae | Cytomegalovirus | dsDNA | CMV congenital infection and opportunistic infections | Y | Chronic inflammatory urogenital diseases, direct gametotoxic effect, can contribute to male infertility and have the potential to be transferred to the embryo after fertilization. Abnormal sperm parameters have also been reported | Gimenes et al., 2014 [5];Jahromi et al., 2020 [36]; Naumenko et al., 2011 [37]; Naumenko et al., 2014 [38]; Le Tortorec et al., 2020 [25]. |
HSV-1/2 | Herpesviridae | Simplexvirus | dsDNA | Herpes labialis and genital herpes | Y | Prostatitis, epididymitis,urethritis, abnormal sperm parameters | Gimenes et al., 2014 [5]; Teixeira et al., 2021 [7]; Klimova et al., 2010 [39]; Wu et al., 2007 [40]; Kurscheidt et al., 2018 [41]; Monavari et al., 2013 [42]; Kapranos et al., 2003 [43]; Bradshaw et al., 2006 [44]. |
EBV | Herpesviridae | Lymphocryptovirus | dsDNA | Infectious mononucleosis, Burkitt lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease | Y | Leukocytospermia | Neofytou et al., 2009 [45]; Le Tortorec et al., 2020 [25]; Bezold et al., 2001 [46]. |
HHV-6 | Herpesviridae | Roseolovirus | dsDNA | Congenital infection, common childhood disease, exanthema subitum and acute febrile diseases | NA | Chronic inflammatory urogenital diseases and abnormal sperm parameters have also been reported | Naumenko et al., 2014 [38]; Salam and Horby, 2017 [8]; Le Tortorec et al., 2020 [25]. |
HBV | Hepadnaviridae | Orthohepadnavirus | dsDNA (RT) | Hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma | Y | Abnormal sperm parameters and infertility | Garolla et al ., 2013 [30]; Vicari et al ., 2006 [47]; Lee et al ., 2010 [48]; Lorusso et al ., 2010 [49]; Zhou et al ., 2011 [50]; Oger et al., 2011 [51]. |
SARS-CoV-2 | Coronaviridae | Betacoronavirus | ssRNA (+) | Severe acute respiratory syndromeSevere acute respiratory syndrome | NA | Orchitis, hypogonadism and abnormal sperm parameters | Teixeira et al., 2021 [7]; Guo et al., 2021 [52]; Sengupta, Leisegang and Agarwal, 2021 [53]. |
LASV | Arenaviridae | Mammarenavirus | ssRNA (-) ambisense, segmentedssRNA (-) ambisense, segmented | Lassa fever | NA | Single case report of epididymitis | Salam and Horby, 2017 [8]; Le Tortorec et al., 2020 [25]; McElroy et al., 2017 [54]; Prescott et al., 2017 [55]. |
HHV-8 | Herpesviridae | Rhadinovirus | dsDNA | Kaposi sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, multicentric Castleman’s disease and inflammatory cytokine syndrome | Y | Prostate cancer | Salam and Horby, 2017 [8]; Henning et al., 2017 [56]; Henning et al., 2017 [57]; Bellocchi, Svicher and Ceccherini-Silberstein, 2020 [58]; Bagasra et al., 2005 [59]. |
VZV | Herpesviridae | Varicellovirus | dsDNA | Chickenpox (varicella) and herpes zoster | NA | Abnormal sperm parameters was reported | Salam and Horby, 2017 [8]; Neofytou et al., 2009 [45]; Tavakolian et al., 2021 [60]; Ouwendijk et al., 2020 [61]. |
HEV | Hepeviridae | Orthohepevirus A | ssRNA (+) | Hepatitis and extrahepatic manifestations | NA | Abnormal sperm parameters was reported | Horvatits et al., 2021 [62]; Huang et al., 2018 [63]; Kamar et al., 2017 [64]. |
HHV-7 | Herpesviridae | Roseolovirus | dsDNA | Exanthema subitum and status epilepticus with fever | NA | Unknown | Kaspersen et al., 2012 [65]; Bezold et al., 2001 [46]; Ljungman et al., 2008 [66]. |
AVs | Anelloviridae | 14 genera have been identified | ssDNA | Unknown | NA | Unknown | Varsani et al., 2021 [67]; Li et al., 2020 [68]; Kaczorowska and Van Der Hoek, 2020 [69]; Martínez et al., 2000 [70]. |
SFTSV | Phenuiviridae | Banyangvirus | ssRNA (-) | Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome | NA | Unknown | Kwak et al., 2019 [71]; Lee et al., 2019 [72]; Koga et al. 2019 [73]. |
NiV | Paramyxoviridae | Henipavirus | ssRNA (-) | Acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis | NA | Unknown | |
WNV | Flaviviridae | Flavivirus | ssRNA (+) | Encephalitis and meningoencephalitis | NA | Single case report of orchitis | Le Tortorec et al., 2020 [25]; Gorchakov et al., 2019 [76]; Suthar, Diamond and Gale, 2013 [77]; Smith et al., 2004 [78]. |
AAV | Parvoviridae | Dependoparvovirus | ssDNA | Not known to cause disease. Used in virus-vectored gene-therapy trials | NA | Abnormal sperm parameters was reported | Behboudi et al., 2019 [79]; Rohde et al., 1999 [80]; Erles et al., 2001 [81]; Schlehofer et al., 2012 [82]; Le Tortorec et al., 2020 [25]. |
ANDV | Hantaviridae | Orthohantavirus | ssRNA (-) | Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome | NA | Unknown | Le Tortorec et al., 2020 [25]; Kuenzli et al. et al., 2018 [83]. |
DENV | Flaviviridae | Flavivirus | ssRNA (+) | Dengue fever, dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome | NA | Unknown | |
YFV | Flaviviridae | Flavivirus | ssRNA (+) | Yellow fever | NA | Autopsy revealed orchitis in some individuals | Duarte-Neto et al., 2019 [86]; Barbosa et al., 2018 [87]; Couto-Lima et al., 2017 [88]. |
JCPyV | Polyomaviridae | Betapolyomavirus | dsDNA | Almost exclusively in immunosuppressed individuals: progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy | NA | Abnormal sperm parameters was reported | Rotondo et al., 2017 [89]; Comar et al., 2012 [90]; Le Tortorec et al., 2020 [25]. |
CHIKV | Togaviridae | Alphavirus | ssRNA (+) | CHIKV disease, arthralgia, myalgia | NA | Unknown | |
RVFV | Bunyaviridae | Phlebovirus | ssRNA (-), ambisense, segmented | Febrile disease, hemorrhagic fever, maculo-retinitis, encephalitis, miscarriage, hepatic and renal failure | NA | Unknown | Salam and Horby, 2017 [8]; Gregor et al., 2021 [92]; Haneche et al., 2016 [93]. |
HCV | Flaviviridae | Hepacivirus | ssRNA (+) | Hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma | Y | Abnormal sperm parameters, infertility and DNA damages. | Teixeira et al., 2021 [7]; Lorusso et al., 2010 [49]; Karamolahi et al., 2019 [94]; La Vignera et al., 2012 [95]; Hofny et al., 2011 [96]; Safarinejad, Kolahi and Iravani, 2010 [97]; Durazzo et al., 2006 [98]. |