PRESENCE AND CELLULAR-DISTRIBUTION OF HIV IN THE TESTES OF SEROPOSITIVE SUBJECTS - AN EVALUATION BY IN-SITU PCR HYBRIDIZATION

Cellular distribution of HIV-1 proviral DNA has been studied, by in si tu PCR hybridization, in the testes of infected men who died at variou s stages of the disease. In seropositive asymptomatic subjects, HIV-1 proviral DNA was present in the nuclei of germ cells at all stages of their differentiation. The presence of provirus did not induce germ ce ll damage, was associated with normal spermatogenesis, and was not acc ompanied by morphologic signs of immune response. The observed HIV hyb ridization pattern of germ cells suggests clonal infection. Mechanisms responsible for HIV penetration in testicular germ cells remain to be clarified; however, the possibility of a direct infection of the germ cells by cell-free virus is suggested. In the testes of AIDS-deceased men, histologic features of hypoplasia with arrested spermatogenesis were evident, and few infected spermatogonia and spermatocytes were ob served. The whale of these data demonstrates that the testis is a site of early viral localization that fails to elicit an immunological res ponse, and that HIV-seropositive men produce infected spermatozoa that are released in the genital tract.