A recent study has revealed that hepatitis E virus or HEV appears to persist in the ejaculate of chronically infected men who are immunosuppressed.
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| Photo: Male Reproductive System | InStyleHealth |
Research included 9 HEV patients, of whom three were
chronically infected with HEV genotype 3, while the remaining 6 were
immunocompetent and only had acute infections. Stool, urine, ejaculate, and
blood samples were collected from all participants and subjected to polymerase
chain reaction to characterize virus morphology and genomics.
Two of the 3 patients with chronic infections
repeatedly tested HEV-positive in their ejaculate. A quantitative analysis revealed
RNA levels that were >2 logs greater than that in serum samples.
Particularly, while ribavirin treatment eliminated HEV
viraemia in both patients, their ejaculate samples nevertheless continued to
test positive for HEV RNA. In one patient, RNA positivity outlasted viraemia
for more than 9 months.
The viral load increased dramatically, over time, in
serum, ejaculate, and stool samples drawn from the 3 chronically infected
participants. On the other hand, ejaculate samples from six immunocompetent patients
did not test positive for HEV RNA, and neither did they show an increase in
viral load over time.
Researchers aid that the virus seems to avoid being
eliminated by the human immune response by utilizing the immunological niche of
the male reproductive system. Researchers also noted that future studies are
clearly needed to further elucidate and fully understand the impact of HEV
replication in the male reproductive system. In addition, further study of
infectivity of HEV virions derived from different bodily fluids is required.
Source: J Hepatol 2021;75:55-63