PMID- 29200521
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20181231
LR  - 20220311
IS  - 1564-0604 (Electronic)
IS  - 0042-9686 (Print)
IS  - 0042-9686 (Linking)
VI  - 95
IP  - 12
DP  - 2017 Dec 1
TI  - Zika virus in semen: a prospective cohort study of symptomatic travellers 
      returning to Belgium.
PG  - 802-809
LID - 10.2471/BLT.17.181370 [doi]
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To prospectively monitor Zika viral loads in semen from Belgian 
      travellers with confirmed Zika virus infection, who returned from the Americas 
      during the 2016 Zika virus epidemic. METHODS: We recruited symptomatic travellers 
      consulting our clinic and we confirmed infection with either 
      reverse-transcriptase (RT) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay or virus 
      neutralization test. The participants produced semen samples weekly, either at 
      the clinic or at home. For the initial sample, the laboratory staff did a 
      microscopy analysis if they received the sample within an hour of production. 
      Using RT-PCR, we monitored Zika virus ribonucleic acid (RNA) loads in semen until 
      we obtained two negative results. FINDINGS: We detected Zika virus RNA in nine of 
      15 participants' semen, one of whom was vasectomized. The median time to loss of 
      RNA detection in semen was 83 days after symptom onset (95% confidence interval, 
      CI: 57-108). The longest duration of viral shedding in semen before obtaining the 
      first negative RT-PCR result was 144 days after symptom onset. All of the 11 
      participants, for whom we microscopically analysed their semen, had presence of 
      leukocytes, 10 showed haematospermia and six showed oligospermia. These 
      abnormalities occurred irrespective of Zika virus detection in semen. CONCLUSION: 
      The majority of men in our study had detectable Zika virus RNA in their semen. We 
      recommend that semen from Zika virus-infected men should be analysed with RT-PCR 
      and that health professionals should advise infected men, even if they are 
      vasectomized, about current recommendations for prevention of sexual transmission 
      of the virus.
FAU - Huits, Ralph
AU  - Huits R
AD  - Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Kronenburgstraat 
      43/3, B-2000, Antwerp, Belgium.
FAU - De Smet, Birgit
AU  - De Smet B
AD  - Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Kronenburgstraat 
      43/3, B-2000, Antwerp, Belgium.
FAU - Arien, Kevin K
AU  - Arien KK
AD  - Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, 
      Belgium.
FAU - Van Esbroeck, Marjan
AU  - Van Esbroeck M
AD  - Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Kronenburgstraat 
      43/3, B-2000, Antwerp, Belgium.
FAU - Bottieau, Emmanuel
AU  - Bottieau E
AD  - Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Kronenburgstraat 
      43/3, B-2000, Antwerp, Belgium.
FAU - Cnops, Lieselotte
AU  - Cnops L
AD  - Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Kronenburgstraat 
      43/3, B-2000, Antwerp, Belgium.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20170706
PL  - Switzerland
TA  - Bull World Health Organ
JT  - Bulletin of the World Health Organization
JID - 7507052
RN  - 0 (RNA, Viral)
SB  - IM
MH  - Adult
MH  - Aged
MH  - Americas
MH  - Belgium
MH  - Communicable Diseases, Imported/*virology
MH  - Germany
MH  - Humans
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Neutralization Tests
MH  - Prospective Studies
MH  - RNA, Viral/genetics
MH  - Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
MH  - Semen/*virology
MH  - Time Factors
MH  - *Travel
MH  - Zika Virus/genetics/*isolation & purification
MH  - Zika Virus Infection/*diagnosis/virology
PMC - PMC5710082
EDAT- 2017/12/05 06:00
MHDA- 2019/01/01 06:00
PMCR- 2017/12/01
CRDT- 2017/12/05 06:00
PHST- 2016/07/04 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2017/09/15 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2017/09/19 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2017/12/05 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2017/12/05 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2019/01/01 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2017/12/01 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - BLT.17.181370 [pii]
AID - 10.2471/BLT.17.181370 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Bull World Health Organ. 2017 Dec 1;95(12):802-809. doi: 10.2471/BLT.17.181370. 
      Epub 2017 Jul 6.