The much debated sperm cleaning technique that claims to reduce the risk of HIV/Aids transmission to the unaffected female partner and the unborn child, is under suspicion again.

The safety of this technique is based on the argument that the virus is present mainly in the seminal fluid rather than the sperm itself. Sperm is known to be devoid of the conventional CD4 protein that acts as the primary HIV-binding agent or receptor on different cells in human body.

However, the National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH), Parel, has discovered and identified a new HIV-binding protein, Human Mannose receptor, in sperm.They have found that HIV specifically binds to this protein and enters spermatozoa. It, therefore, establishes that sperms used for artificial insemination after washing contains the virus that may transmit to mother and/or child. The Initial part of this study was published in the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology 2003. The subsequent study about the protein was accepted in the US Journal of Aids last month. “Many infertility specialists claim that the process of cleaning and insemination is 100 per cent safe, but this study shows that the risk factors are significantly high,” said Dr A H Bandivdekar, assistant director of NIRRH, who headed the study. The new protein is likely to be the receptor of the HIV virus on the sperm surface, he said. “The presence of this protein may have correlation with the risk of infection in the male through sexual contacts,” he added.

Sperm cleaning and its subsequent usage for artificial insemination have been practised in Mumbai for more than a decade now. But, obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Duru Shah of Breach Candy Hospital said that couples who opt for the technique are well aware of the risk involved. “It is almost 99 per cent safe but we never claim it guarantees 100 per cent security,” she said.

Till date, India does not have a single case wherein a child born out of this technique has tested positive for HIV/Aids. But, experts claim that it is difficult to establish. “Even if a child is tested positive, parents or the doctor concerned will never report it because of the stigma attached,” said Balaiah Donta, deputy director, NIRRH.

This finding also supports the ongoing debate that circumcision may reduce the chances of male acquiring the virus from a female. “Residual sperm that remains in the foreskin after the intercourse helps the virus to stick there and subsequently enter the genital tract,” said Bandivdekar. Therefore, circumcision may possibly help curbing the virus to some extent in case of unprotected sex, he added.