Presence and Persistence of Andes Virus RNA in Human Semen

Züst, Roland; Ackermann-Gäumann, Rahel; Liechti, Nicole; Siegrist, Denise; Ryter, Sarah; Portmann, Jasmine; Lenz, Nicole; Beuret, Christian; Koller, Roger; Staehelin, Cornelia; Kuenzli, Andrea B.; Marschall, Jonas; Rothenberger, Sylvia; Engler, Olivier (2023). Presence and Persistence of Andes Virus RNA in Human Semen. Viruses, 15(11), p. 2266. MDPI 10.3390/v15112266

[img]
Preview
Text (Presence and Persistence of Andes Virus RNA in Human Semen)
viruses-15-02266__1_.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY).

Download (2MB) | Preview

When infecting humans, Andes orthohantavirus (ANDV) may cause a severe disease called hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). Following non-specific symptoms, the infection may progress to a syndrome of hemorrhagic fever combined with hyper-acute cardiopulmonary failure. The case fatality rate ranges between 25–40%, depending on the outbreak. In this study, we present the follow-up of a male patient who recovered from HCPS six years ago. We demonstrate that the ANDV genome persists within the reproductive tract for at least 71 months. Genome sequence analysis early and late after infection reveals a low number of mutations (two single nucleotide variants and one deletion), suggesting limited replication activity. We can exclude the integration of the viral genome into the host genome, since the treatment of the specimen with RNAse led to a loss of signal. We demonstrate a long-lasting, strong neutralizing antibody response using pseudovirions expressing the ANDV glycoprotein. Taken together, our results show that ANDV has the potential for sexual transmission.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute for Infectious Diseases > Infection Serology
04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Haematology, Oncology, Infectious Diseases, Laboratory Medicine and Hospital Pharmacy (DOLS) > Clinic of Infectiology
04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute for Infectious Diseases
04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute for Infectious Diseases > Clinical Microbiology

UniBE Contributor:

Koller, Roger, Staehelin, Cornelia, Künzli, Andrea Brigitte, Marschall, Jonas

Subjects:

600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health
500 Science > 570 Life sciences; biology

ISSN:

1999-4915

Publisher:

MDPI

Language:

English

Submitter:

Roger Koller

Date Deposited:

17 Nov 2023 10:41

Last Modified:

07 Aug 2024 15:45

Publisher DOI:

10.3390/v15112266

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/189085

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/189085

Actions (login required)

Edit item Edit item
Provide Feedback