Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Virology. 2021 Aug;560:43-53. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2021.05.001. Epub 2021 May 14.
Zika virus (ZIKV) can infect developing fetuses in utero and cause severe congenital defects independent of route of maternal infection. Infected men can shed ZIKV RNA in semen for over six months. Whether prolonged viral RNA shedding in semen indicates a persistent infection in the male reproductive tract is unknown. We hypothesized that if ZIKV establishes a persistent infection in the male reproductive tract (MRT), then immunosuppressant treatment should stimulate ZIKV replication and seminal shedding. Male mice were infected with ZIKV and immunosuppressed when they shed viral RNA but not infectious virus in ejaculates. Following immunosuppression, we did not detect infectious virus in ejaculates. However, we did detect ZIKV positive and negative sense RNA in the epididymal lumens of mice treated with cyclophosphamide, suggesting that ZIKV persists in the epididymis. This study provides insight into the mechanisms behind ZIKV sexual transmission, which may inform public health decisions regarding ZIKV risks.
寨卡病毒（ZIKV）可在子宫内感染胎儿，并导致严重的先天性缺陷，而与母体感染途径无关。感染的男性可在精液中排出 ZIKV RNA 超过六个月。精液中持续的病毒 RNA 排出是否表明男性生殖道存在持续性感染尚不清楚。我们假设，如果 ZIKV 在男性生殖道（MRT）中建立持续性感染，那么免疫抑制剂治疗应该会刺激 ZIKV 复制和精液排出。当雄性小鼠在精液中排出病毒 RNA 但不排出传染性病毒时，用 ZIKV 感染并进行免疫抑制。免疫抑制后，我们在精液中未检测到传染性病毒。然而，我们在环磷酰胺处理的小鼠的附睾管腔中检测到 ZIKV 正、负链 RNA，提示 ZIKV 在附睾中持续存在。这项研究深入了解了 ZIKV 性传播的机制，这可能为关于 ZIKV 风险的公共卫生决策提供信息。
