CDC Meta Analysis Discusses Just How Many Viruses Can Live In Human Semen
Perusing the literature I came across a discussion of a recent meta-analysis (a study of studies) performed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), looking into trying to better compile information on just how many viruses can live in human semen. If you are anything like me you are likely thinking... um ... why would I want to know that? You might even want to close this blog out, but... you'll be back. Just like I was when reading about this, because, you know... just HOW many viruses are known to be able to live there??
So lets take a brief moment to discuss the summary of the data that the CDC put together.
Why Were The CDC Scientists Interested In Viruses In Semen In The First Place?
It's not a bad question to be asking. I mean... I asked it my self. However the answer is not unsurprisingly, pretty straight forward. Zika. A recent study reported that even after the symptoms of a zika virus infection subside, that Zika virus RNA was still detected in the semen of over 50% of the men they tested.
To make matters worse the virus was active meaning that Zika virus is a sexually transmittable disease (not new information).
To make matters even worse-er, the longest amount of time after the end of symptoms that Zika virus has been detected in semen was a whopping 62 days! [3]. Zika isnt the only terrifying active replicating virus that has been extracted from semen either, there is also our favorite bleed out of every orifice hemorrhagic fever causer, Ebola. [4] Yes, thats right. Ebola can also be a STD.
The CDC authors explain that the testes are just an imperfect barrier to viruses, especially when there is some inflammation, and it shouldn't be entirely surprising that the male reproductive tract finds itself a home for them. [5]
Okay... Thats...Yep, They Should Be Compiling All The Data On This...
So what about other viruses? Well the authors did an extensive literature search and identified 27 viruses that were found in human semen.
In the article they list all of these viruses in a Table. However briefly, some are ones you would expect (HIV, Hepatitis C, a smattering of various Herpes viruses) but others are a little more surprising! For example there is evidence that the Mumps virus can be found in semen.
One observation the CDC authors made was that the viruses which have, to this point, been identified in semen come from very diverse classes. They point out that this means that there isn't a specific aspect (like the shape of the virus, or type of genome, or surface receptors etc etc etc) that makes a virus better able to get into semen.
They also point out that the majority of studies reporting on this were looking only at the presence of viral genetic material. These studies do not indicate whether or not these viruses are actively replicating, or are transmissible (unlike what was reported for ebola as discussed above).
This does bring up a few questions though:
- How many of these viruses are actually active?
- Could they be transmitted? If so for how long after an infection is this possible?
- Is transmission possible to say a growing fetus? Could transmission of these viruses be a potential cause of miscarriages?
None of this is known, but its quite clear that there is a need to investigate it. As the answers could be quite impactful, and may even lead to significant improvements in successful pregnancy (IE if transmission of a virus like this can cause a miscarriage then that could be avoided).
Other Random Tidbits of Information from the Article
Influenza (the cold virus) has been found in human testicles, could it wind up in semen? Could it be transmissible sexually? That would be a really weird way for someone to catch a cold.
Viruses may make men more susceptible to other STD infection as they could increase inflammation in the reproductive tract.
CDC Author Conclusions
There may be a heck of a lot more viruses that are present in human semen, certainly a lot more then we know now, and a lot more then one would expect. The authors state that further testing to identify whether viruses with a high chance to cause death or other severe health issues are possibly present would be potentially beneficial for public health.
My Takeaway
There are a surprising number of viruses that could potentially be found in semen, including many that I at least would not associate with sexual transmission.
My Other Takeaway
Condoms might just be protecting our partners from more than just STD's (and unwanted children)...
Sources
Text Sources
- https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/23/11/17-1049_article
- https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/23/4/16-1692_article
- http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=22554
- http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0004475
Image Sources
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Woow 27 viruses that were found in human semen !!! it's terrifying . soon to hear a virus that is transmitted genetically.
Well in reality there are a variety of dormant viruses in our genomes.
https://www.sciencealert.com/there-s-an-intact-ancient-virus-lying-dormant-in-human-dna
So in a way, there are already viruses that are transmitted genetically.
So now we have to take care of our semen also, previously it was the most ignored thing.
And this is why you should clean yourself after fap 😁
Yeah, don't want to catch a cold. ... :D
This is breaking news to me! 27 viruses already identified in semen, and maybe many more. I'm really wondering why research into this topic is so minimal! I would think this is massively important to understand better. In my little country The Netherlands, we generally are tested on the usual suspects when requesting our doctor to do so, however most of the costs are for the client since our medical insurance does not pay for it. That actually limits the amount of test requests to those who can afford to pay for it.
Well there is only so much money to spend researching topics, and ones like cancer are a higher priority. On the bright side some workers are still tackling problems like this so we aren't completely left in the dark.
I agree in general with your statement, choices must be made. However I do know of research to cure illnesses of which we have not more than 10 people being ill in NL. At that levels other choices may be made. But yeh, it is good that some of the people in the medicine segment are spending time and money.
Yes and those people are for sure Ill. It's not known yet whether these virsuses are even transmissible. The proof is in the pudding, If further data shows this to be a bigger deal, then you can bet more money will be shifted to it from other areas.
For now it falls under the realm of interesting, and important to continue working on. However it's not yet to the stage of, for sure causing disease, for sure leading to miscarriages etc. Asking whether it could is still just asking.
You have a point! You would think that eg the condom industry would jump on this when it would be something big, meaning they would lead and/or finance research when the certainty would be sufficient enough of transmissible deceases harmful for others.
I purge semen from my testes as frequently as possible to get rid of viruses. I've been unsuccessful so far, but not for lack of trying.
I need more detail
No no, don't encourage more detail.
Flagged for being weird.
Thanks for sharing the meta-analysis. Had not read it yet. I'm especially interested in Neurotropic viruses like Zika (me being Colombian is a must here)
The approximately 70 days windows seems to be due to the prostate particularities. Is just the perfect place for these guys to get their reservoir.
At this point seems more than likely that Viruses in men's semen are a big blind spot reason for early term miscarriages.
Yeah it's certainly something that should be studied further. The miscarriage implications would be huge.
Fantastic info @justtryme90 , thanks for sharing. With the terrible effects of zika virus on newborns, not to mention other viruses, i would be looking forward for the healthcare community and further research to answer the questions you raised above.
Thanks again!
Addressing these questions are the logical next steps (and points also brought up in part by the CDC researhers). Thanks for reading!
Poor semen. I know semen will feel so bad about this (humorously though). Nice post sir. Thanks for sharing
this information just blew my mind. i didnt know nothing about this jaja, it was interesting how the post answered every question that came to my mind,
Thanks for taking a look at it man. Appreciated.
oh, this information doesn't make sexual life any easier :D
It's the same as it was before this information was researched. Now we have some paths forward for understanding more. But yeah... it certainly feels less easy.