Table 3.
Characteristics of 29 Men Providing Paired Genitourinary and Blood Samples
| Characteristic | Median (range) or N (%) | Reference or Expected Value |
|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 29 (18 – 53) | |
| Participants Not Taking ART | 19 (65) | |
| Blood HIV-1 RNA, copies/mL | 2,433 (15 – 29,847) | |
| Semen HIV-1 RNA, copies/mL | 737 (75 – 121,633) | |
| CD4 count, cells/μL | 491 (128 – 1,195) | |
| Participants Taking ART | 10 (35) | |
| Blood HIV-1 RNA, copies/mL | 15 (15 – 697) | |
| Semen HIV-1 RNA, copies/mL | 75 (75 – 75) | |
| CD4 count, cells/μL | 251 (163 – 962) | |
| Days between genitourinary samples | 7 (4 – 13) | 7 |
| Semen volume, mL | 1.5 (0.4 – 6.5) | ≥2.0* |
| Semen cell count × 106 cells/mL | ||
| Leukocytes | 0.01 (0 – 10.9) | ≤1* |
| Sperm | 44.3 (0.6 – 449.4) | ≥20* |
| Leukocytospermia† | 2 (7) | 0 |
| Motile sperm present | 28 (97) | 100% |
| EPS obtained during prostate massage | 18 (62) | 80% |
| Post-PMF/U volume, mL | 7.0 (1.2 – 26.0) | 5.0 |
| Leukocyte esterase positive | 1 (3) | 0 |
| STI diagnosed** | 0 | 0 |
*
Normal references ranges for semen adapted from the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination of Human Semen and Sperm-Cervical Mucus Interaction, Fourth Edition (1999). Cambridge University Press, New York.
†
Leukocytospermia was defined as >1 × 106 leukocytes/mL of semen, per the above reference.
**
See methods for details of STI screening performed.
ART = antiretroviral therapy
EPS = expressed prostatic secretions
post-PMF/U = post-prostate massage fluid/urine
RNA = ribonucleic acid
STI = sexually transmitted infections