Zika Virus Could Shrink the Male Testicles by up to 90% !

The virus is already known to lead to shrunken heads in babies whose mothers catch the infection, which is carried in tropical countries and has recently been found in the tourist hotspot of Florida. The virus has the unusual ability to cross the barrier that separates the male reproductive organs from the blood stream.


 Michael Diamond, of Washington University School of Medicine said: 'We undertook this study to understand the consequences of Zika virus infection in males. While our study was in mice -and with the caveat that we don't yet know whether Zika has the same effect in men – it does suggest that men might face low testosterone levels and low sperm counts after Zika infection, affecting their infertility.' The virus was already known to persist in semen for months – but it was not known what impact this could have on an infected man. Research published in Nature Genetics, Professor Diamond and colleagues infected mice with Zika.

 After two weeks the testicles had shrunken significantly, their 'internal structure collapsing' with many dead or dying cells, the researchers said. And after three weeks, the mices' testicles had shrunk to a tenth of their normal size. Their testicles did not heal even after six weeks, when the virus had cleared from their bodies

The Zika virus was found to attack Sertoli cells, which do not regenerate, and which nourish growing sperm cells. Infected mice were four times less likely to get a female mouse pregnant, their sperm numbers fell tenfold, and their testosterone levels were very low. Co-author Kelle Moley said: 'This is the only virus I know of that causes such severe symptoms of infertility.

There are very few microbes that can cross the barrier that seprates the testes from the bloodstream to infect the testes directly. Because the study of Zika is relatively new, no studies have been published linking infertility to men with Zika.

 'People often don't find out they're infertile until they try to have children, and that could be years or decades after infection. 'I think it is more likely doctors will start seeing men with symptoms of low testosterone, and they will work backward to make the connection to Zika.' The effects of low testosterone, which can be diagnosed with a simple blood test, include low sex drive, erectile dysfunction, fatigue and loss of body hair and muscle.



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