Laboratory of Immunology and Inflammation, Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasilia, 70910-900 Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil.
Département de Microbiologie-Infectiologie et d'Immunologie, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 4G2, Canada.
Cells. 2020 Apr 18;9(4):1006. doi: 10.3390/cells9041006.
Zika virus (ZIKV) has been reported by several groups as an important virus causing pathological damage in the male reproductive tract. ZIKV can infect and persist in testicular somatic and germ cells, as well as spermatozoa, leading to cell death and testicular atrophy. ZIKV has also been detected in semen samples from ZIKV-infected patients. This has huge implications for human reproduction. Global scientific efforts are being applied to understand the mechanisms related to arboviruses persistency, pathogenesis, and host cellular response to suggest a potential target to develop robust antiviral therapeutics and vaccines. Here, we discuss the cellular modulation of the immunologic and physiologic properties of the male reproductive tract environment caused by arboviruses infection, focusing on ZIKV. We also present an overview of the current vaccine effects and therapeutic targets against ZIKV infection that may impact the testis and male fertility.
寨卡病毒（ZIKV）已被多个研究小组报道为一种重要的病毒，可导致男性生殖道发生病理损伤。寨卡病毒可感染和持续存在于睾丸体细胞和生殖细胞以及精子中，导致细胞死亡和睾丸萎缩。寨卡病毒也已在寨卡病毒感染患者的精液样本中被检测到。这对人类生殖有重大影响。全球科学界正在努力理解与虫媒病毒持续性、发病机制和宿主细胞对病毒的反应相关的机制，以提出一个有潜力的靶点，来开发有效的抗病毒治疗药物和疫苗。在这里，我们讨论了虫媒病毒感染引起的男性生殖道环境免疫和生理特性的细胞调节，重点讨论了寨卡病毒。我们还概述了目前针对寨卡病毒感染的疫苗效果和治疗靶点，这些可能会影响睾丸和男性生育能力。
