Pl. Vernazza et al., SENSITIVE METHOD FOR THE DETECTION OF INFECTIOUS HIV IN SEMEN OF SEROPOSITIVE INDIVIDUALS, Journal of virological methods, 56(1), 1996, pp. 33-40
Citations number
27
Categorie Soggetti
Virology,"Biochemical Research Methods","Biothechnology & Applied Migrobiology
The aim of the study was to develop a sensitive culture method for the
detection of HIV in semen. Antimicrobials were evaluated to suppress
bacterial and fungal contamination of HIV cultures. Toxicity of semina
l plasma was reduced using a short incubation of seminal fluid with cu
lture cells. The detection rate was determined by adding known amounts
of diluted primary virus isolates to uninfected cells. The sensitivit
y of the method was determined in a cohort of 33 HIV seropositive men.
The use of a virus transport medium with high doses of antibiotics re
duced contamination of HIV cultures. Toxicity of seminal plasma on cul
ture cells was limited when seminal fluid was incubated with culture c
ells for only 90 min. Detection levels for cell-associated virus and c
ell-free virus from semen were 12 infected cells per ejaculate and 100
infectious units per milliliter of seminal fluid, respectively. Cell-
associated HIV could be recovered from 18 semen samples of 33 HIV posi
tive men (55%). Recovery of cell-free virus from seminal fluid was inf
requent. It is concluded that the method is highly sensitive for the d
etection of HIV from semen. However, the recovery rate of infectious c
ell-free virus in seminal fluid from clinical samples is infrequent.