Zika virus in semen and spermatozoa

Jean Michel Mansuy (1) , Elsa Suberbielle (2) , Sabine Chapuy-Regaud (2, 1) , Catherine Mengelle , Louis Bujan (3) , Bruno Marchou (4) , Pierre Delobel (2, 4) , Daniel Gonzalez-Dunia (2) , Cécile Malnou (2) , Jacques Izopet (2, 1) , Guillaume Martin-Blondel (4, 2)

1 Laboratoire Virologie [CHU Toulouse]
2 CPTP - Centre de Physiopathologie Toulouse Purpan
3 GRFH - Groupe de recherche en fertilité humaine
4 Service Maladies infectieuses et tropicales [CHU Toulouse]

The current Zika virus epidemic is a major challenge for the medical and scientific communities for at least two reasons: the severe clinical situation associated with Zika virus infection (neurological complications and adverse fetal outcomes) and the unexpected sexual viral transmission from men to women. These recent findings have shifted the paradigm of arbovirus–host interactions, modifying standard epidemiology and clinical patterns. High infectious Zika virus loads have been detected in semen, but data for viral persistence after symptomatic infections are scarce and even non-existent for asymptomatic ones, with the remaining key issue: how long does semen contain infectious Zika virus? As long as this question is unanswered, the adaptation of preventive measures such as the use of condoms and the abstinence of semen donation will be hampered. Here, we report the longitudinal follow up of Zika virus RNA in the semen of a 32-year-old man returning from French Guyana.

Domaines: Maladies infectieuses; Maladies émergentes; Reproduction sexuée; Virologie

Jean Michel Mansuy, Elsa Suberbielle, Sabine Chapuy-Regaud, Catherine Mengelle, Louis Bujan, et al.. Zika virus in semen and spermatozoa. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2016, 16 (10), pp.1106-1107. ⟨10.1016/S1473-3099(16)30336-X⟩. ⟨hal-02400856⟩