Health
Semen Study Finds More Pathogens Capable of Sexual Transmission
- Marburg, monkeypox and West Nile among viruses detected
- Also highlights more potential sources of reproductive issues
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An analysis of data from hundreds of studies identified 22 viruses capable of persisting in human semen after infection, with nine showing evidence of sexual transmission.
Scientists have for decades understood that chronic infection-causing viruses like HIV and herpes can persist in semen, posing a risk for sexual transmission. More recently, viruses like Ebola and Zika have been found to infect the male reproductive tract, evading immune system clearance and sometimes spreading long after the acute phase of infection.