The Monkeypox virus has been found in the semen of infected patients in Italy and Germany, reinforcing the argument that the infection may be sexually transmissible.
Italian researchers have detected the virus in the seminal fluid of 3 patients. They describe these cases in Euro-surveillance, the European journal on infectious diseases, published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The virus is known to be transmitted mainly through close skin contact and prolonged exposure to respiratory droplets, as well as through contact with contaminated objects. In their latest joint report, the ECDC and WHO (Europe) also refer to contact “with body fluids.”
Researchers have identified six of the seven patients at the facility whose semen contained the genetic material of the virus. In particular, a laboratory-tested sample from a single patient suggested that the virus found in his semen was capable of infecting another person and replicating.
The data, which have been submitted for publication, are not sufficient to prove that the biological characteristics of the virus have changed, which would mean that its mode of transmission has evolved, Francesco Vaia, director-general of the institute, told Reuters.
“However … having an infectious virus in semen is a factor that tips the balance strongly in favor of the hypothesis that sexual transmission is one of the modes of transmission of this virus,” he said.
In a separate report published online on June 6, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, German scientists also detected viral DNA in the semen of two patients from the country.
The detection of viral DNA does not necessarily imply the presence of an infectious virus, said Carlos Maluquer de Motes, who heads a research group studying poxvirus biology at the University of Surrey.
An analysis by British researchers found that viral DNA from a range of different viruses, including the Zika virus, was found in semen, but it is unclear whether the presence of genetic material increases the risk of sexual transmission.
The data comes as more than 1,300 cases of the viral disease have been reported from about 30 countries, mostly in Europe, since early May. Most cases have been reported in men who have had sexual intercourse with men.
The outbreak has raised concerns because the virus is rarely seen outside Africa, where it is endemic, and the majority of cases are not linked to travel to the continent. Scientists are working to understand the causes of the current outbreak, its origins and whether anything has changed in the virus.
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