Chinese scientists have taken another step forward in the study of Zika virus. On November 22, China Agricultural University held a press conference to announce the latest research findings, which were made by Professor Li Xiangdong of the University and academician Gaofu of the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, that Zika virus can cause testicular damage in mouse models and eventually lead to male infertility.
This discovery reveals Zika from a new perspective. The possibility that viruses affect human health.
Over the past few years or so, the outbreak of Zika virus in South America has quickly become a public health issue of international concern. Like other flavivirus members, such as dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile virus, Zika virus is mainly transmitted by vector mosquitoes. According to Gao Fu's introduction, previous researchers concerns about Zika virus primarily focused on fetal abnormalities such as abortion, neonatal microcephaly, and Guillain-Barre syndrome.
The incubation period (from exposure to symptoms) of Zika virus disease is not clear, but maybe several days. Signs of the disease are similar to other arboviral infections such as dengue fever, including fever, rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, weakness, and headache. These symptoms tend to be mild, which can last 2-7 days.
In May 2016, clinical journals reported that Zika virus could be sexually transmitted and that Zika virus RNA could exist in human semen for a long time, suggesting a new route of transmission of Zika virus and a potential threat to human health.
This attracted the attention of Li Xiangdong and Gaofu team. After the study, the joint team found that after viremia, Zika virus could survive in mice testis for several weeks, causing testicular damage and eventually leading to male infertility. They also revealed the pathological process of Zika virus infection in the male reproductive system of mice:
On the 8th day after virus infection, it will cause interstitial congestion, acute orchitis and epididymitis, testis and epididymis tissue atrophy, testosterone level decreased significantly; on the 16th day after infection, a large number of sperm cells died and testicular seminiferous duct ruptured. The testis shrank further on the 30th day after infection, and the seminiferous tubule lost its healthy structure. On the 60th day after infection, the testis atrophied completely and lost its structure.
After further study, the joint team also found that in the reproductive system of male mice, the stem cell-like cells in the testis, peritubular myoid cells, and spermatogonia, maybe the main target cells of Zika virus infection. Because of their stem cell-like characteristics, they will directly affect the regeneration of damaged testis caused by virus infection. It eventually leads to male sterility.
Zika virus is usually mild and does not require special treatment. Patients with Zika virus should have enough rest, drink enough water, and use conventional medicines to treat pain and fever. If symptoms aggravate, patients should seek medical advice.
At present, there is no vaccine available. Misuse of drugs will only aggravate the condition, prolong the treatment time, and affect the treatment effect. It is a way to alleviate the disease by taking different medications for different symptoms, but it can not cure the disease quickly. The testicular damage caused by Zika virus is irreversible, while the common condition of orchitis and epididymitis can be effectively cured by Diuretic and Anti-inflammatory Pill.
Li Xiangdong told reporters that this discovery found the scientific basis for the transmission of Zika virus through semen, and also indicated the harm caused by the virus through sexual transmission. She said that with more and more clinical and basic research, the damage of Zika virus to human beings is more than people initially imagined, and the war against Zika virus may have just begun.
