Investigation of BK/JC Polyomavirus Presence in Infertile Male Patients

• Main Authors: Fatma ESENKAYA TAŞBENT, Mehmet ÖZDEMİR, Hakan Hakkı TAŞKAPU, Bahadır FEYZİOĞLU
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bilimsel Tip Yayinevi 2021-03-01
• Series: Flora Infeksiyon Hastalıkları ve Klinik Mikrobiyoloji Dergisi
• Subjects: polyomavirus; male infertility; pcr; jc virus
• Online Access: http://www.floradergisi.org/managete/fu_folder/2021-01/135-141%20Fatma%20Esenkaya%20Tasbent.pdf
• ISSN: 1300-932X; 1300-932X

Introduction: Infertility is a common medical condition that is frequently encountered worldwide. The most common diagnosis of male infertility is idiopathic, accounting for 30% of the cases. Worldwide, infections are another important cause of infertility. The present study aimed to investigate whether BK polyomavirus (BKV) and JC polyomavirus (JCV) are associated with male infertility. Materials and Methods: From a university hospital, 80 semen and 80 urine samples were collected from men who applied to the infertility clinic and diagnosed as idiopathic infertility. As a control group, 60 semen and 60 urine samples were taken from healthy males who had fathered children. The detection of BKV and JCV was performed by multiplex real-time PCR. Results: JCV positivity was 62.5% (50/80) for urine and 40% (32/80) for semen in the infertile group. In the control group, JCV positivity was 38.3% (23/60) for urine and 35% (21/60) for semen. Only one patient of the control group had BKV positivity in urine and semen. The difference of JCV positivity in urine between infertile males and control group wasstatistically significant (p= 0.005). In addition, mean viral DNA load of JCV was found significantly higher compared to the control group in both urine and semen samples (p< 0.0001 and p= 0.002, respectively). Conclusion: These results can be an important finding in elucidating the etiology of idiopathic infertility.