[Correspondence] Isolation of viable Zika virus from spermatozoa

In their study, Guillaume Joguet and colleagues1 isolated viable Zika virus from the spermatozoa of a Zika virus-infected individual. This is an important finding. The presence of viable Zika virus in seminal plasma alone might be insufficient for infection of the ovum, zygote, or morula. The plasma membrane of an ovum is surrounded by a dense protective layer of glycoproteins called the zona pellucida. Whether Zika virus can bind to the zona pellucida and then infect the ovum, zygote, or morula is still unknown.

Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - January 26, 2018 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Alex P Salam, Peter Horby Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research