Morphological and microbiological signs of endogenous C-virus in human oocytes

Human oocytes in different stages of maturation were obtained by follicular aspiration from women given Clomovid and Gonadex. Particles similar to type-C virus were observed in three out of 16 oocytes. The particles were irregularly distributed along the oocyte membrane. They were seen both in a state of budding and lying free in the perivitelline space. Reverse transcriptase activity was detected in three out of nine samples of follicular fluid obtained from women other than those donating the oocytes. The supernatants from bat lung cells and dog thymus cells cultivated with oocytes or follicular fluids were tested for reverse transcriptase. An increased activity was observed only transiently in one case. It is assumed that these findings indicate the expression of endogenous retroviruses in human oocytes.