the Zika virus persists in semen for up to 6 months after infection, depending on the results of a study published in the medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The study confirms its long persistence in semen (beyond 130 days, i.e. more than 4 months), and reveals its presence inside the sperm. Important repercussions for the prevention against the transmission of the virus and for the safety of the donation of sperm.
Researchers from Inserm and CNRS in France have published a letter on the case of a 32-year-old man returning from French Guiana to warn of the risk of contamination and sexual transmission of the Zika virus.
This patient returned from Guyana with symptoms suggestive of a Zika virus infection: moderate fever, rash, muscle and joint pain. the Zika virus was detected in the patient’s plasma and urine 2 days after symptom onset. Scientists took samples of semen (11 samples), blood (10) and urine (5) and analyzed them over a total of 141 days.
Zika virus persists for more than 130 days in semen
The researchers found the Zika virus in all samples up to the 37th day. After that, it was only detected in semen where it lived for over 130 days.
This result was confirmed in two other patients in whom the virus persisted for 69 to 115 days in semen.
“We detected the presence of the Zika virus inside about 3.5% of the spermatozoa of this patient” explains Guillaume Martin-Blondel, Inserm researcher at the Toulouse Purpan Physiopathology Center (Inserm / CNRS / Université Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier) and doctor in the Infectious and Tropical Diseases department of the Toulouse University Hospital.
“For other sexually transmitted viruses, such as HIV, the virus remains “stuck” to the surface of the sperm. As part of a in vitro fertilization, it is therefore possible to “wash” the spermatozoa in the case of patients infected with HIV, whereas this therefore seems to be excluded for spermatozoa obtained from patients positive for HIV. Zika virus. However, it remains to determine the “active” character of the Zika virus present in the spermatozoa, as well as the capacity of these spermatozoa to transmit the infection (the virus is also present outside the spermatozoa in the seminal fluid) “, explains Guillaume Martin. -Blondel.
Results which should mobilize the health authorities for prevention against the sexual transmission of this virus and the obligation to test the sperm donation.
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