Zika Virus in
Semen Provides More Evidence of Sexual Spread
by Rachael Rettner,
Senior Writer | February 12, 2016 01:45pm ET
The case of a man in the United Kingdom who had Zika virus a few years ago provides even more evidence that the virus can be transmitted through sex, according to a new report.
Researchers found the virus in the man's semen
nearly nine weeks after he became ill, the report said.
"Our data may indicate prolonged presence of
[Zika] virus in semen, which, in turn, could indicate a prolonged potential for
sexual transmission," the researchers, from Public Health England, part of
the U.K.'s Department of Health, write in an article to be published in the May
issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
The Zika virus, which is currently spreading in more
than 20 countries in Central and South America, is usually transmitted by
mosquitoes. But several recent reports suggest that in rare cases, the virus
can be transmitted through sex. Earlier this month, health officials said a
person in Dallas appeared to have contracted the
virus after having sex with a man who had recently traveled to
Venezuela, where Zika is spreading.
Health officials are concerned about a strong link
between Zika virus infection during pregnancy and a birth defect called
microcephaly, in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and face lifelong
cognitive impairments.
The new report describes
the case of a 68-year-old British man who traveled to the Pacific islands in
2014, when an outbreak of Zika virus was occuring there. When he returned home,
he developed a fever, fatigue and a rash. The man tested negative for dengue
fever and chikungunya virus, but positive for Zika virus.
After the man recovered, the researchers conducted
follow-up tests for the virus, to see if it had lingered in his blood, urine or
semen. The virus had disappeared from his blood and urine, but it could still
be found in the semen 62 days after the man's illness started.
"These findings could inform decisions
regarding what control methods are implemented and which specimen types are
best suited for diagnostic detection," the researchers said.
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention issued a warning about the potential for
Zika virus to spread during sex. The agency said that men who have
pregnant partners, and have recently traveled to an area where Zika is
spreading, should should abstain from sex or use condoms until the end of their
partner's pregnancy.
