[Herpes viruses and male infertility--is there any relationship?].

A relationship between the herpesviral infections and male reproductive health is of importance to both theoretical and practical medicine. The review contains the data on the frequency of herpes virus identification in sperm, the effect of the viruses on structure and function of male germ cells, potential vertical transmission of the herpes viruses with male gametes, and experimental models of study the effects of herpes viruses on spermatogenesis. From the analysis of these data it can be concluded that: 1) identification of herpes virus in sperm is associated with reduced fertility; 2) herpes simplex virus has a negative effect on spermatogenesis, which manifests itself in a decreased proliferative activity of spermatogonia, meiosis block and enhanced apoptosis of germ cells; 3) herpes viruses can be found intracellularly in male gametes; and 4) the analysis of the markers of widespread herpes viruses (HSV, CMV) should be included in examination of men attending infertility clinics.