At a time when experts worry about the persistence of Zika virusin sperm, this is a study that should further fuel the fears of the scientific community. An article published in the journal New England Journal of Medicine reports a suspected case of transmission of the Zika virus by an unprecedented route. A man in his seventies who died in June after being infected with the Zika virus may have infected his son through his sweat and tears. The 73-year-old patient, infected during a trip to Mexico, could have transmitted the disease to his son when the latter visited him at the Salt Lake City hospital where the senior had been taken care of.
Classic transmission routes (by bloodWhere sexually) having been ruled out, the researchers came to this hypothesis suggesting that tear fluid and perspiration could also be a vector of transmission.
When he arrived at the hospital, the old man complained of fever and abdominal pain. He also presented two rather curious symptoms, namely an inflammation of the eyes and tearing. Zika virus infection was not confirmed until a few days after his death from sepsis, the study reports.
After analysis, the doctors were surprised to find that the blood of the deceased patient contained a concentration of Zika virus more than 100,000 times higher than that usually seen in other infected people.
Additional work to be carried out to confirm this transmission route
Her son developed symptoms similar to his father, suffering from fever and conjunctivitis. However, unlike the septuagenarian, only urine contained the virus.
How could the son have been contaminated with Zika through his father’s tears and sweat? He helped a nurse move her father’s body to the hospital bed without wearing gloves. He also wiped her eyes, reports LCI. Further work needs to be done to confirm this hypothesis of transmission of Zika via bodily fluids.
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