Reseachers evaluated samples from 150 participants, including 55 men, in whom they detected the Zika virus — ZIKV RNA. They collected serum, urine, saliva, semen and vaginal secretions weekly for the first month and then at two, four and six months. They calculated “time until the loss” of Zika virus detection in each body fluid.
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The time until the loss of virus detection was:
Serum
Median: 14 days
95th percentile: 54 days
Urine
Median: 8 days
95th percentile: 39 days
Semen
Median: 34 days
95th percentile: 81 days
Few participants had detectable Zika virus in saliva or vaginal secretions.
“The prolonged time until ZIKV RNA clearance in serum in this study may have implications for the diagnosis and prevention of ZIKV infection,” the study authors concluded.
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