Most cases of cervical cancer are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), but this is not a sexually transmitted disease that only half of the population has to worry about.
Argentine researchers discover strain of HPV It has been found that people at high risk of cancer have a higher percentage of dead sperm.
In semen samples from people with high-risk strains, scientists noticed lower white blood cell counts and elevated levels of reactive oxygen species, which can damage sperm and alter DNA.
No similar correlation was seen in samples from patients with low-risk HPV.
Although the findings were based on only semen samples from 205 adult men, they are consistent with previous studies showing that HPV leads to lower sperm counts and reduced motility and viability, implying a negative impact on male fertility.
“Here we show that genital HPV infection is highly prevalent in men and has variable effects on semen inflammation and sperm quality depending on the infecting viral genotype.” explain Virginia Rivero, an infection microbiologist at the National University of Córdoba in Argentina.
“Specifically, infections caused by high-risk HPV genotypes appear to have a greater negative impact on men’s fertility and the ability of their immune systems to clear the infection.”
Currently approved laboratory tests for HPV detect the virus during cervical screening. This is probably whyCurrently, the full extent of how HPV affects a man’s body is not well studied.
HPV is known to cause cancer in the penis, anus, mouth, and throat of male patients. With the right diagnostic tools, HPV DNA can be detected in these areas. However, historically, this infection “Feminized” Some researchers argue that this is a danger to public health.
HPV vaccine First available It was approved in the United States in 2006 only for young female patients. It took three years for the Food and Drug Administration to approve the drug for young male patients, and another two years for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to endorse its recommendation.
As of 2022, the World Health Organization recommends that HPV vaccines be included in routine childhood immunization for both boys and girls. However, the “primary target for vaccination is still girls aged 9 to 14 years.” Boys are considered a “secondary target” only “when feasible and affordable.”
about One third of 107 countries Countries with HPV vaccination programmes include boys in their programmes: Globally, about 4% of boys received a full course of the vaccine in 2019, compared with 15% of girls.
In the United States, the HPV vaccination rates among teenage boys are Slightly lower In 2022, it is expected to be 65 percent of boys compared to 61 percent of girls.
Australia has the most successful HPV vaccination program in the world. Coverage in 2023 The figures were higher for women (85.9 percent) and men (83.4 percent).
“Many men are against the HPV vaccine and say, ‘Why should I get the HPV vaccine?’ “Is it just for girls?” explains Nosayaba Osazuwa Peters, a public health scientist at Duke University who led a recent study on disparities in HPV vaccination coverage..
New research from Argentina suggests a new reason.
The study analyzed sperm from 205 adult male volunteers who had not received the HPV vaccine but attended a urology and male reproductive health clinic.
Their semen was tested for HPV and other sexually transmitted diseases: About 20% were HPV positive, and 20 men had strains considered “high risk.”
Compared with 43 men without HPV infection, the semen of men infected with high-risk HPV showed worrisome changes that were not detected by analytical methods recommended by the WHO.
Using a more sensitive test, Rivero and his colleagues found that men infected with high-risk HPV had increased sperm death, due to oxidative stress and a weakened local immune response.
“Our study raises important questions about how high-risk HPV affects sperm DNA quality and what impact that has on reproductive and offspring health,” Rivero said.
The HPV vaccine has helped reduce cervical cancer cases by around 90 percent in the UK, but HPV-related throat and penile cancers are on the rise.
In 2021, two public health scientists from Uppsala University in Sweden Claimed They argue that vaccinating everyone, regardless of gender, with the HPV vaccine is the “only way” to eradicate this highly common infection and its long-term health consequences.
If HPV continues to be viewed primarily as a “women’s issue,” the virus could potentially wreak permanent havoc on fertility in both men and women.
This study Frontiers in Cellular and Infectious Microbiology.
