Sperm Makes HIV more Infectious

A component of human semen can make the HIV virus up to 100,000 more virulent, according to new research published in the journal Cell. German scientists looking for a possible HIV inhibitor examined many of the 900 peptides found in human semen, and discovered bits of a protein called prostatic phosphatase. Those protein bits link up to form chunky amyloid fibers, which the scientists called “semen-derived enhancer of virus infection” (SEVI). In rats, SEVI-treated HIV was five times more infectious than HIV alone.