|
Home
What is
Hepatitis
How is it
Transmitted
Long Term
Prognosis
Complications of
HCV
Liver
Biopsy
Treatment Info
(Interferon, Herbal, etc)
Lab Tests (PCR,
Genotype,etc.)
Nutrition
& Alternative Info
Patient
Information (Support Groups, Doctor Listing,
etc)
Related
Webpages
Transplant
Info
Site
Search
HCV
Webrings
My
guestbookbook
Site
Awards
FAQ &
Disclaimers
|
SEXUAL TRANSMISSION OF HEPATITIS C VIRUS (HCV): DETECTION
OF HCV IN SEMEN AND CORRELATION WITH PLASMA VIRAL LOAD
Sexual transmission of HCV is still controversial and probably
rare.
Aim: To detect HCV RNA in semen and its constituants, seminal
plasma and spermatozoa, and to correlate the presence of HCV RNA in
semen with viraemia levels. Patients, methods: 25 HCV viraemic
patients with chronic hepatitis C were studied. HCV viraemia was
quantified by Amplicor-Monitor^{TM} HCV (Roche). The two different
fractions of the semen samples were obtained by centrifugation. HCV
RNA was assessed by RT nested PCR in both semen fractions, by in
situ hybridization in spermatozoa, and by branched DNA method
(bDNA, Chiron) in seminal plasma. For each patient, serum and semen
were studied on the same day.
Results: All patients were HCV viraemic and 4/25 (16%) had high
viraemia levels (>500 000 eq ARN/ml by Monitor). Whatever the
viraemia level, HCV RNA by PCR was negative in both seminal plasma
and spermatozoa. As RT nested PCR failed to detect HCV RNA in
seminal plasma after addition of titrated HCV viraemic sera, we
concluded that an inhibitor of PCR method exists in that semen
fraction. Such inhibition was not found in spermatozoa. HCV RNA was
negative by branched DNA in all but one seminal plasma sample, but
it was a false positive by non specific hybridization. In situ
hybridization in spermatozoa failed to detect positive or negative
HCV RNA strands.
Conclusions: 1/PCR method in the whole semen and seminal plasma has
no value in detecting HCV RNA because of an inhibition of PCR.
2/HCV RNA was neither detected by bDNA, thus HCV RNA in semen is
probably absent or at a very low level. 3/HCV RNA was not detected
in spermatozoa either by PCR or by in situ hybridization. That
result is important when discussing in vitro fecondation.
Debono E^{1}, Halfon P^{2}, Gerolami-Santandrea V^{2},
Gastaldi-Plannels M^{3}, Castellani P^{1}, Bourliere M^{4},
Cartouzou G^{2}, Gauthier A^{1}, Botta-Fridlund D^{1}.
^{1}Gastroenterology and Liver Unit, ^{2}Biochemical Laboratory,
Conception Hospital, Marseille, ^{3}Molecular Biology Laboratory,
Timone University, Marseille. ^{4}St Joseph Hospital,
Marseille
Source: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
- 1996 Annual Meeting
Home | What is HCV | Transmission |
Future |
Complications |
Biopsy |
Treatment
| Lab |
Nutrition |
Patient |
Links | Transplant |
Webrings |
guestbookbook |
Awards |
FAQ
|
|