Ebola Persists in Semen for Up to 2 Years
The Ebola virus can remain in the semen of infected men for more than 2 years following onset, according to the results of a recent study.
For their longitudinal cohort study, the researchers examined semen samples from 149 men from Monrovia, Liberia who had been infected with the Ebola virus. The samples were collected 260-1016 days after Ebola onset.
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Of the 149 samples, 13 tested positive for Ebola virus RNA. Of 137 men who donated samples 2 years after onset, 11 were positive for Ebola RNA.
Those with positive samples were more likely to be older and to report vision problems than those with negative results.
“The mechanism underlying the persistence of EBOV RNA in semen is unclear, as is whether the detection of viral RNA represents the presence of infectious virus,” the researchers wrote.
—Michael Potts
Reference:
Fischer WA, Brown J, Wohl DA, et al. Ebola virus RNA detection in semen more than two years after resolution of acute Ebola virus infection [published online July 22, 2017]. OFID. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofx155.