(CNN) – A recent study suggests that human papillomavirus (HPV) infections high-risk could have a negative impact on sperm health and potentially male fertility.
Posted in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiologythe study shows that men infected with high-risk strains of HPV have significantly higher levels of sperm death compared to those infected with low-risk strains.
The research, Made in Argentinaincluded 205 men who provided semen samples between 2018 and 2021. Scientists detected HPV in 19% of the samples, with the high-risk strain HPV 16 being the most prevalent.. Although the study found no significant associations between infection with HPV and standard semen quality parameters such as sperm concentration and motility, did find that samples with high-risk HPV had 2.5 times more dead sperm than low-risk samples.
The researchers also observed Higher levels of cellular stress in samples with high-risk HPV infections and a lower number of leukocytes, which could contribute to an immunosuppressive environment that facilitates concurrent infections.
Dr. Virginia Rivero, lead author of the study, suggests that these findings may warrant HPV testing in men, although it is not currently recommended or approved by the FDA.
He Drs. Bobby Najari, urologist at NYU Langone Healthclarifies that although the study shows an increase in sperm death, these dead sperm do not usually contribute to fertilization. In addition, Dr. Janet Choi and other experts caution that the study raises more questions than answersand additional research is needed to better understand the impact of HPV in fertility.
Meanwhile, HPV vaccination remains the best prevention against infections and associated cancersThe CDC recommends vaccination for adolescents, and vaccination rates have declined slightly since the pandemic. It is crucial to continue promoting vaccination to protect long-term health.
