WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUISSince Zika virus emerged in the Americas, researchers have been working to pin down how the virus affects pregnant mothers and is transmitted between hosts. As results have come in, it has become increasingly clear that the virus infects a variety of tissues other than the brain (where Zika infection is associated with microcephaly in infants, among other things), turning up in the eye and in semen, underscoring the need to assess the virus’s impacts throughout the body.
A new study in mice provides some of the clearest data to date on how the virus might affect the male reproductive tract. The report, from virologist Michael Diamond and colleagues at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, follows the progressive invasion of Zika virus into the testes of mice over several weeks. The researchers found evidence for substantial tissue damage to the testes caused by the virus, and urge further research in affected humans. The team’s results were published today (October 31) in Nature. The Scientist spoke with Diamond to learn more about his group’s findings.
The Scientist: What was previously known about Zika in the male reproductive system?
Michael Diamond: We don’t know exactly where sexual transmission fits into the ...
