Zika virus in the female genital tract

• Published in: The Lancet infectious diseases Vol. 16; no. 9; pp. 1000 - 1001
• Main Authors: Prisant, Nadia, Bujan, Louis, Benichou, Hélène, Hayot, Pierre-Humbert, Pavili, Lynda, Lurel, Sylvia, Herrmann, Cecile, Janky, Eustase, Joguet, Guillaume
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2016; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Animals; Antiretroviral drugs; Blood; Female; Females; Genitalia, Female - virology; Humans; Infections; Infectious Disease; Infectious diseases; RNA, Viral - genetics; RNA, Viral - isolation & purification; Urine; Vector-borne diseases; Viral infections; Zika virus; Zika Virus - genetics; Zika Virus - isolation & purification; Zika Virus Infection - diagnosis; Zika Virus Infection - virology
• ISSN: 1473-3099; 1474-4457
• DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(16)30193-1

Zika virus infection has been associated with adverse fetal outcomes, including congenital microcephaly, and could lead to pregnancy loss, as was described in a mouse model.1,2 Presence of Zika virus has been shown in amniotic fluid, which suggests that the virus can cross the placental barrier.3 Zika virus has been isolated from several other body fluids, including blood, urine, saliva, breastmilk, and semen.1 Presence of Zika virus in semen was reported after infection and has been shown to persist even after it is undetectable in blood or urine. [...]no data are available on the presence of Zika virus in the female genital tract. [...]the detection of Zika virus in the female genital tract, its clearance kinetics, and its possible persistence would be of utmost importance in the assessment of woman-to-man sexual transmission of the Zika virus, and it could also help clarify the process of mother-to-child vertical transmission.