Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri.
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University in St Louis, St. Louis, Missouri.
F S Sci. 2022 Feb;3(1):2-9. doi: 10.1016/j.xfss.2021.10.005. Epub 2021 Nov 3.
To comprehensively characterize the DNA virome in semen samples collected for in vitro fertilization (IVF).
A descriptive clinical study.
Single academic fertility center.
PATIENT(S): Twenty-four male partners from couples undergoing IVF.
INTERVENTION(S): Couples were randomized to receive 1 g of azithromycin (standard of care) or no azithromycin at the time of baseline IVF assessment. Semen samples were collected at the time of the female partners' egg retrieval, and 100 μL of the sample was used for the virome analysis.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Detection of viruses by ViroCap enrichment of viral nucleic acid and sequencing. Association between the virome, semen parameters, and pregnancy outcomes.
RESULT(S): We detected viruses in 58% of the participants. Viruses included polyomaviruses, papillomaviruses, herpesviruses, and anelloviruses. Viromes detected in semen had little overlap with the viromes detected in vaginal samples from their female partners collected at the time of embryo transfer, which were analyzed in a previous study. A lower viral diversity in semen samples was positively associated with pregnancy (Hodges-Lehmann estimate of difference, 1; 95% confidence interval, 2-0.00003). There was no association between viral diversity and sperm concentration, motility, or fertilization rates.
CONCLUSION(S): This comprehensive characterization of the DNA virome in semen reveals an association between virome diversity and pregnancy in couples undergoing IVF. However, no association was found with specific semen parameters or fertilization rates, suggesting that viral exposure may negatively affect pregnancy after fertilization. Future studies should be undertaken to evaluate the associations between the semen virome with IVF outcomes in larger cohorts.
全面描述体外受精（IVF）精液样本中的 DNA 病毒组。
描述性临床研究。
单家学术生育中心。
接受 IVF 的夫妇中 24 名男性伴侣。
夫妇在基线 IVF 评估时随机接受 1 克阿奇霉素（标准护理）或不接受阿奇霉素。在女性伴侣取卵时收集精液样本，并使用 100 μL 样本进行病毒组分析。
通过 ViroCap 富集病毒核酸和测序检测病毒。病毒组与精液参数和妊娠结局的关系。
我们在 58%的参与者中检测到了病毒。病毒包括多瘤病毒、乳头瘤病毒、疱疹病毒和圆环病毒。在精液中检测到的病毒与在之前研究中分析的其女性伴侣在胚胎移植时采集的阴道样本中检测到的病毒组很少重叠。精液样本中较低的病毒多样性与妊娠呈正相关（Hodges-Lehmann 差异估计值为 1；95%置信区间为 2-0.00003）。病毒多样性与精子浓度、活力或受精率之间没有关联。
这项对精液中 DNA 病毒组的全面描述揭示了在接受 IVF 的夫妇中病毒组多样性与妊娠之间的关联。然而，与特定的精液参数或受精率没有关联，这表明病毒暴露可能在受精后对妊娠产生负面影响。未来的研究应在更大的队列中评估精液病毒组与 IVF 结局之间的关系。
