[Herpes simplex virus and cytomegalovirus in male ejaculate: herpes simplex virus is more frequently encountered in idiopathic infertility and correlates with the reduction in sperm parameters].

The present investigation was undertaken to study the detection rate of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) in the ejaculates of males with infertility and to evaluate the impact of virus infection on the major parameters of sperm. Ejaculates from 808 patients were studied. As compared with apparently healthy individuals, the coupled males with primary infertility were found to have HSV more frequently in both the whole ejaculate (31% versus 17%; p = 0.049) and the fraction of actively motile spermatozoa (30% versus 8%; p = 0.016). Ejaculate HSV detection directly correlated with the reduced amount of actively motile spermatozoa (p = 0.0001) and the smaller proportion of morphologically normal forms of germ cells (p = 0.002). CMV was found to have no impact on the motility and morphology of spermatozoids in the ejaculate. Both HSV and CMV in the male ejaculate were significantly more frequently detectable in winter months. The findings lead to the conclusion that HSV is one of the factors for male infertility and can negatively affect the results of assisted reproductive technologies.