Scientist discovered the virus can live in a man’s sperm (Image: Getty)
Hantavirus could live in a man’s sperm for six years after infection, a peer-reviewed scientific paper has claimed. The discovery means that men infected with the virus, which recently infected at least 11 cases, including three fatalities, on a cruise ship, could be forced to dramatically alter their sexual practices for years to come.
Researchers found Andes virus genetic material in the semen of a 55-year-old man in Switzerland 71 months after he first became ill. The case, published in the journal Viruses, involved a man who developed hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome after travelling through South America in 2016. Andes virus is a strain of hantavirus found in parts of Chile and Argentina and is usually spread to humans through contact with infected rodents.
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An outbreak linked to a cruise ship has sparked global concern (Image: Getty)
They found that while the virus could no longer be detected in the man’s blood, urine or respiratory tract, traces of it were still present in his semen 71 months later.
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As has been seen with other viruses such as Ebola and Zika, the male testes may serve as a “reservoir”, allowing the virus to persist while avoiding the body’s immune defences.
Hantavirus infections can initially cause flu-like symptoms before, in severe cases, progressing to breathing difficulties and heart and lung failure.
Andes virus is considered particularly concerning because it is one of the few hantaviruses for which person-to-person transmission has previously been documented.
In this case, researchers continued testing the patient’s samples long after his recovery.
Viral RNA disappeared from blood, urine and respiratory samples much earlier, but remained detectable in semen for 2,188 days.
However, researchers were unable to isolate infectious viruses from the samples.
That means the findings do not prove the man was capable of infecting someone through sex, although the authors said this could not be ruled out because hantaviruses are difficult to isolate.
They concluded the findings show the Andes virus has the potential for sexual transmission, but said further research is needed to establish whether long-term persistence occurs in more survivors.
Passengers from the cruise ship are currently isolating (Image: Getty)
The findings come as six people who were on the cruise ship linked to an outbreak of hantavirus have left Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral to continue their isolation at home, health officials have said.
Passengers from the MV Hondius were taken to the facility for checks by specialists.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said public health and clinical specialists have assessed each person’s circumstances and after their latest negative test they are being allowed to continue their 45-day isolation at home.
It said there are “appropriate public health protections in place at every stage of the journey” for those leaving the facility.
Health protection teams across the UK will continue to monitor and support everyone after they leave the hospital through daily contact, it added.
The UKHSA said all those at Arrowe Park “remain asymptomatic”.
