Detection of Human Papillomavirus DNA in Sperm Using Polymerase Chain Reaction

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a highly prevalent sexually transmitted virus that causes genital warts in men and women and is associated with an increased risk of genital tract neoplasia in women (1 ,2 ). Nucleic acid amplification techniques such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have enabled the sensitive and specific detection of HPV DNA in many different bodily fluids and tissues (3 –5 ). Although HPVs were first detected in semen in 1986 (6 ), there have been limited attempts to develop and refine protocols for their detection in this fluid (7 ,8 ). Diagnostic methods that enable the detection of HPV in semen (7 ,9 –11 ) offer the promise of reducing the risk of transmission of the virus to the recipients of donor semen during artificial insemination.