Semen of HIV-1-Infected Individuals: Local Shedding of Herpesviruses and Reprogrammed Cytokine Network

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 205; no. 1; pp. 97 - 105
• Main Authors: Lisco, Andrea, Munawwar, Arshi, Introini, Andrea, Vanpouille, Christophe, Saba, Elisa, Feng, Xingmin, Grivel, Jean-Charles, Singh, Sarman, Margolis, Leonid
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.01.2012
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Blood plasma; Chemokines - metabolism; Coinfection - immunology; Coinfection - metabolism; Cytokines; Cytokines - metabolism; Cytomegalovirus; Epstein Barr virus infections; Epstein-Barr virus; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Herpesviridae; Herpesviridae - isolation & purification; Herpesviridae Infections - complications; Herpesviridae Infections - immunology; Herpesviridae Infections - virology; HIV 1; HIV Infections - complications; HIV Infections - immunology; HIV Infections - virology; HIV-1 - isolation & purification; HIV/AIDS; Human immunodeficiency virus 1; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Major and Brief Reports; Male; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Semen; Semen - immunology; Semen - virology; Seminal plasma; T lymphocytes; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids; Viral Load; Virus Shedding; Infection; Immunopathology; Semen; Viral disease; Dissemination; Cytokine; AIDS; Immune deficiency
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jir700

Background. Semen is the main carrier of sexually transmitted viruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). However, semen is not just a mere passive transporter of virions but also plays an active role in HIV-1 transmission through cytokines and other biological factors. Methods. To study the relationship between viruses and the chemokine-cytokine network in the male genital tract, we measured the concentrations of 21 cytokines/chemokines and the loads of HIV-1 and of 6 herpesviruses in seminal and blood plasma from HIV-1-infected and HIV-uninfected men. Results. We found that (1) semen is enriched in cytokines and chemokines that play key roles in HIV-1 infection or transmission; (2) HIV-1 infection changes the chemokine-cytokine network in semen, further enriching it in cytokines that modulate its replication; (3) HIV-1 infection is associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) compartmentalized seminal reactivation; (4) CMV and EBV concomitant seminal shedding is associated with higher HIV-1 loads in blood and seminal plasma; and (5) CMV seminal reactivation increases the seminal levels of the CCR5 ligands RANTES and eotaxin, and of the CXCR3 ligand monokine induced by gamma interferon (MIG). Conclusions. HIV-1 infection results in an aberrant production of cytokines and reactivation of EBV and CMV that further changes the seminal cytokine network. The altered seminal milieu in HIV-1 infection may be a determinant of HIV-1 sexual transmission.