Penis & scrotum
Infectious
HIV
Authors: Alcides Chaux, M.D., Antonio L. Cubilla, M.D.
Topic Completed: 1 February 2010
Minor changes: 27 October 2020
Copyright: 2002-2021, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Human immunodeficiency virus[TIAB] penis
Table of Contents
Etiology | Diagrams / tables | Clinical features | Treatment | Microscopic (histologic) images | Electron microscopy images | Additional referencesCite this page: Chaux A, Cubilla AL. HIV. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/penscrotumHIV.html. Accessed January 15th, 2021.
Etiology
- Lack of circumcision confers up to 8x risk, apparently due to high lymphocyte density in foreskin mucosa (HIV1 targets CCR5 and CXCR4 receptors on CD4+ T cells), higher than uterine ectocervix (Am J Pathol 2002;161:867, Am J Clin Pathol 2006;125:386)
- Factors favoring HIV infection via preputial surface include greater susceptibility of foreskin mucosa to trauma, longer survival of the virus in warm and moist subpreputial spaces and lack of keratinization and high density of HIV target cells in the inner foreskin compared with the keratinized surface of the outer foreskin and glans (Nat Clin Pract Urol 2009;6:32)
- No infiltration by HIV1 of foreskin outer surface
Diagrams / tables
Images hosted on other servers:
Diagram
Clinical features
- Circumcision recommended to reduce incidence in heterosexual men (J Infect Dev Ctries 2008;2:328, WHO: HIV / AIDS [Accessed 29 March 2018])
- Most HIV1 positive men are infected via the penis
Treatment
- Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)
Microscopic (histologic) images
Images hosted on other servers:
High concentration of
Langerhans cells,
T cells and macrophages
in foreskin
HIV1 coreceptors CCR5 and CXCR4
Outer surface (left) and inner surface (right) of foreskin
Electron microscopy images
Images hosted on other servers:
HIV virus particles
HIV budding from cultured lymphocyte
Additional references
