An award–winning, innovative method, that allows a causal approach to the treatment of infectious agents in spermatozoa.
The SPI TEST ™
Over time, our research team is interested about the possible presence of similar viruses in sperm also. The expected result of viral presence, after vertical transmission of viruses to the fetus, would be:
a) the inability of the fetel cells to properly proliferate.
b) the rejection of the infected fetus by the female defense mechanisms.
c) the creation of functional problems of the fetus that can be seen in the late stages of pregnancy. The presence of microorganisms inside spermatozoa has not been of concern to the medical sector worldwide. In our view, the purity of the genetic material of the first cell of the fetus (zygote) is of paramount importance.
The presence of intracellular pathogens and viruses, such as HSV 1/2 and CMV, in sperm cells can lead to their vertical transmission to the zygote during fertilization. The presence of viral DNA among the embryonic genome can lead to the expression of viral antigens by the embryonic cells. This causes the NK lymphocytes to manifest tropism against them, resulting in the immunological rejection of the fetus. Remember that the target cells are those whose function is to develop mechanisms of stealing oxygen from the vessels of the endometrium. These cells, called interstitial trophoblast cells, are the ones that produce the chorionic gonadotropin (β–hCG).
This can result in premature miscarriages, which are misinterpreted as inability to conceive when they occur before the confirmation of pregnancy by hormonal chorionic gonadotropin evaluation; or it can even manifest with recurrent miscarriages of immunological etiology.
Even if the fetus survives, in the case of a vertical transmission of viruses, there is a possibility that the viral antigens will be considered as “self” by the new organism and will not be naturally faced for the rest of its life. As a result, the fetus will be tolerant towards these pathogens and will therefore coexist with them in the future with unpredictable consequences.
To prevent and avoid the above, we recommend the SPI TEST (sperm pathogen immunophenotyping test), a new award–winning diagnostic test that allows for the first time the detection of intracellular pathogens such as viruses (eg CMV, HSV 1/2) and Chlamydia inside the sperm, using flow cytometry.
The SPI™ test allows the etiological investigation of male infertility as it may be involved in immunological causes, early pregnancy failure and recurrent miscarriages due to sperm-derived pathogens, even in cases of chronic, subclinical infections, where conventional methods such as cultures, immunofluorescence and PCR fail to detect them. It is the most sensitive, commercially available test (more sensitive than standard PCR–based detection methods), while providing excellent specificity, allowing the correlation between infection and infected cell type.
