Department of Microbiology, Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, Belur Math, West Bengal, India.
Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2022;1358:325-343. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-89340-8_14.
Viruses, being intracellular obligate parasites, can cause several congenital and sexually transmitted diseases. Depending on the site of infection, viruses can adopt various pathogenic mechanisms for their survival and to escape the host immune response. The male reproductive system is one of the attainable targets of many viruses including immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Zika virus (ZIKV), adenovirus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and infection with such viruses may cause serious health issues. Leydig cells and seminiferous tubules are the prime sites of mammalian testis for viral infection. The azoospermic condition is a common symptom of viral infection, wherein the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular (HPT) axis can be disrupted, leading to decreased levels of luteinizing hormone (LH). Furthermore, oxidative stress (OS) is a major contributing factor to viral infection-associated male infertility. The likelihood of direct and indirect infection, as well as sex-based variability in the vulnerability pattern to viral infections, has been observed. However, there appears to be a long-term impact of viral infection on male reproductive performance due to testicular tissue pathogenicity - a process that requires thorough investigation. The present study aimed to explore how the viruses affect the male reproductive system, including their distribution in tissues and body fluids, possible targets as well as the effects on the endocrine system. We used the major electronic databases such as MEDLINE and SCOPUS. Google Scholar was also consulted for additional literature search related to the topic. Obtained literatures were sorted based on the content. The articles that reported the pathogenesis of viruses on male reproductive health and were published in the English language were included in the present study.
病毒是细胞内专性寄生的病原体，可引起多种先天性和性传播疾病。根据感染部位的不同，病毒可以采用各种致病机制来生存并逃避宿主的免疫反应。男性生殖系统是许多病毒的潜在靶标之一，包括免疫缺陷病毒 (HIV)、寨卡病毒 (ZIKV)、腺病毒、巨细胞病毒 (CMV) 和严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2)，感染这些病毒可能会导致严重的健康问题。Leydig 细胞和生精小管是哺乳动物睾丸病毒感染的主要部位。无精子症是病毒感染的常见症状，其中下丘脑-垂体-睾丸 (HPT) 轴可能被破坏，导致黄体生成素 (LH) 水平降低。此外，氧化应激 (OS) 是病毒感染相关男性不育的主要因素。已经观察到直接和间接感染的可能性，以及易感性模式的性别差异。然而，由于睾丸组织的致病性，病毒感染对男性生殖性能的长期影响似乎是存在的，这一过程需要深入研究。本研究旨在探讨病毒如何影响男性生殖系统，包括它们在组织和体液中的分布、可能的靶标以及对内分泌系统的影响。我们使用了 MEDLINE 和 SCOPUS 等主要电子数据库，并在 Google Scholar 上搜索了与该主题相关的其他文献。根据内容对获得的文献进行了分类。本研究纳入了报告病毒对男性生殖健康发病机制的英文文献。
