Abstract
BackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted viruses. Despite the increasing evidence of HPV prevalence in semen, the worldwide distribution of HPV types in semen and risk for male infertility remain inconclusive.MethodsFour electronic databases were searched for English language studies conducted between January 1990 and December 2016 that reported HPV DNA prevalence in semen. Based on the PRISMA guidelines, HPV prevalence was estimated among general population and fertility clinic attendees, respectively, and heterogeneity testing was performed using Cochran’s Q and I2 statistics. The association between HPV positivity and male infertility was evaluated by a meta-analysis of case-control studies.ResultsA total of 31 eligible studies comprising 5194 males were included. The overall prevalence of HPV DNA in semen was 11.4% (95% CI = 7.8-15.0%) in general population (n = 2122) and 20.4% (95% CI = 16.2-24.6%) in fertility clinic attendees (n = 3072). High-risk type prevalence was 10.0% (95% CI = 5.9-14.0%) and 15.5% (95% CI = 11.4-19.7%), respectively. HPV16 was the most common type, with a prevalence of 4.8% (95% CI = 1.7-7.8%) in general population and 6.0% (95% CI = 3.8-8.2%) in fertility clinic attendees. A significantly increased risk of infertility was found for males with HPV positivity in semen (OR = 2.93, 95% CI = 2.03-4.24).ConclusionsSeminal HPV infection is common worldwide, which may contribute to the risk of male infertility.
Highlights
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted viruses
HPV prevalence in semen The reported HPV DNA prevalence in semen ranged from 0.0% to 46.2% (Additional file 2: Table S1) and yielded an average of 17.1%
High-risk HPV prevalence (10.0%, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) = 5.914.0%) was similar to that of low-risk types (8.3%, 95% CI = 4.1-12.5%) in general population (P = 0.072)
Summary
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted viruses. Despite the increasing evidence of HPV prevalence in semen, the worldwide distribution of HPV types in semen and risk for male infertility remain inconclusive. Approximately 10% to 20% of couples at the reproductive age were affected by infertility. Male factor infertility contributes to roughly 50% of cases, and the proportion is increasing rapidly [1]. Recent evidence suggests that HPV infection can be present in semen and is implicated in male infertility [3]. HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted virus in both males and females worldwide. A subset of high-risk types (HPV16, 18, etc.) have been proved to cause neoplasms at different sites, such as
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