In humans, Zika virus can remain in semen months after infection. However, before the current study, it was not clear how the virus affected the testes, which produce testosterone and sperm, researchers said.
To examine the issue, researchers led by Erol Fikrig, Professor of Medicine at Yale University in the US, studied mice models infected with a non-lethal strain of the Zika virus.
The researchers found that the virus continued to replicate in testicular cells even after it was cleared from the blood.
They also discovered that 21 days after infection, the testes of infected mice were significantly smaller than those of control mice.
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"This study shows how the Zika virus replicates in and damages testes," said first author Ryuta Uraki.
The persistence of the virus in a storage compartment known as the epididymis, which conveys sperm from the testicle to the urethra, is consistent with the reported cases of male-to-female sexual transmission, he said.
"These results suggest that infection can cause reproductive deficiency in males," Uraki noted.
The study results, which extend recent findings by other researchers, underscore the critical need for the development of a vaccine, as well as antiviral therapies, to combat Zika infection, the researchers said.
The study was published in the journal Science Advances.
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