Detection of Zika virus in semen of a 68-year-old man with onset of fever, marked lethargy, and an erythematous rash 1 week after returning from the Cook Islands and 62 days after fever onset!
February 12th, 2016Atkinson B, Hearn P, Afrough B, Lumley S, Carter D, Aarons EJ, et al. Detection of Zika virus in semen [letter]. Emerg Infect Dis. 2016 May [date cited]. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid2205.160107
“….In 2014, a 68-year-old man had onset of fever, marked lethargy, and an erythematous rash 1 week after returning from the Cook Islands. Serum samples taken 3 days into the febrile illness tested negative for dengue and chikungunya viruses by real-time reverse transcription PCR (rRT-PCR). Test results for dengue virus IgM and chikungunya virus IgM also were negative; a test result for dengue virus IgG was indeterminate.
An rRT-PCR test result for ZIKV was positive and indicated a crossing threshold value of 35 cycles. This low viral load, commonly observed even in the acute phase of disease, meant that attempts to obtain sequence data were unsuccessful. Convalescent-phase serum, urine, and semen samples were requested; only semen was positive for ZIKV by rRT-PCR, , at 27 and 62 days after onset of febrile illness….”