Experimental inoculation of male mice with murine cytomegalovirus and effect on offspring

Abstract

MCMV harboured in the male genital organs was not transmitted to their offspring, even when mating occurred during the acute phase of CMV disease. Although the infection may have had an impact on spermatogenesis, fertility was not affected. These results do not support the hypothesis of conceptus MCMV infection by the fertilizing spermatozoon in natural conception.

Cyclophosphamide-Immunodepressed FVB/N Mice: Potentiating the Effects of Testicular Cytomegalovirus Infection

“…Thus, germ cells do not appear to be permissive to MCMV, whatever the immune status of the mice: immunocompetent or immunocompromised [CY-treated (this study), Nu/Nu mice (data not shown)]. These results are consistent with those of our previous study, which suggests that it was unlikely that the spermatozoon itself was directly infected with MCMV [15]. It is more likely that, if contamination of oocytes occurs, it is vectored by MCMV DNA found in the sperm which penetrates the oocyte during fertilization.…”

“…An infection of Leydig cells leads to a transient degeneration of spermatogenesis in immunocompetent mice without affecting their offspring, which are like those of uninfected males [15].…”

“…10 5 PFU), as described previously [15]. Samples of homogenized organs from males (immunosuppressed or not) were recovered on days 8, 16, 23 and 28 after infection (PI) and were cocultured for 5-7 days with mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) as described previously [15].…”

“…In parallel, we tested tissues from mice of the various groups for MCMV viral DNA using a pair of 20-bp oligonucleotides corresponding to a region of the BamH1-B fragment of the Smith strain of MCMV as primers [15,19]. The nucleotide sequences of these primers were as follows: (bp 35,708-35,728, sense), 5)-CGTCGCGAAG-GAACACCTCA-3); and (bp 35,946-35,966, antisense), 5)-GTCGCCATGCGGGAGGTTTC-3).…”

Virus de transmisión sexual: relación semen y virus

“…En trabajos realizados con un virus de otra especie, el CMVM (Citomegalovirus Murino), se encontró que al inyectarlo en los testículos de ratones se pudo aislar por diferentes té cnicas moleculares el DNA viral, tanto en las cé lulas espermá ticas inmaduras como en los espermatozoides maduros, causando adicionalmente infiltrados inflamatorios en el tracto reproductivo, infecció n de las cé lulas intersticiales y degeneració n de los tú bulos seminíferos, siendo las cé lulas de Leydig el blanco predilecto para la invasió n del virus 25 . Lo que má s se acepta hasta el momento, es que el virus se adhiere primero al heparan sulfato, pero su entrada final a la cé lula está mediada por alguno de esos receptores desconocidos.…”