Men having the high-risk form of the cervical cancer -causing virus , or HPV, were found to possess higher amounts of dead sperm , thereby negatively affecting their fertility , according to a new study. Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection, comprises high-risk and low-risk viruses. While the former is known to pose a high risk for developing malignancies and the latter is known for causing largely benign warts or marks, researchers explained in the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.
The researchers from Argentina, including those from the National University of Cordoba, looked at the quality of 205 adult men 's semen. About a fifth of them, or 39, tested positive for HPV -- 20 having the high-risk form of the virus, seven with the low-risk form and 12 in whom the team could not identify high-risk or low-risk. The 39 HPV-positive men were compared with 43 HPV-negative men.
While semen quality of men across these groups did not differ, upon looking more closely, the researchers found that the samples taken from the men infected with the high-risk virus contained a significantly lower count of immune cells known to help fight infection -- CD45 white blood cells. Senior author Virginia Rivero explained that the lower count of immune cells seen in these samples were a result of the HPV's known ability to dodge an immune response. This would lead to fewer white blood cells moving to the site of HPV infection, t.