Zika Virus Shedding in Semen of Symptomatic Infected Men

Authors: Paul S. Mead, Nisha K. Duggal, Sarah A. Hook, Mark J. Delorey, Marc Fischer, Dana Olzenak McGuire, Heidi A Becksted, Ryan Max, Michael Anishchenko, Amy Schwartz, Wen‐Pin Tzeng, Christina A. Nelson, Erin McDonald, John T. Brooks, Aaron C. Brault, Alison F. Hinckley - New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM 2018 cited by 221

BACKGROUND: Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus that has been linked to adverse birth outcomes. Previous reports have shown that person-to-person transmission can occur by means of sexual contact. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study involving men with symptomatic ZIKV infection to determine the frequency and duration of ZIKV shedding in semen and urine and to identify risk factors for prolonged shedding in these fluids. Specimens were obtained twice per month for 6 months after illness onset and were tested by real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) assay for ZIKV RNA and by Vero cell culture and plaque assay for infectious ZIKV. RESULTS: ZIKV RNA copies per milliliter of semen. CONCLUSIONS: ZIKV RNA was commonly present in the semen of men with symptomatic ZIKV infection and persisted in some men for more than 6 months. In contrast, shedding of infectious ZIKV appeared to be much less common and was limited to the first few weeks after illness onset. (Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.).