Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified protein fragments, called amyloid fibrils, that are in human semen and significantly increase Ebola virus infection and protect the virus against harsh environmental conditions like heat and dehydration. Previous research has shown that men can harbor and transmit the virus in their semen for 2.5 years post-exposure.
“Given the potential for sexual transmission to spark new Ebola infection chains, we feel we have found relevant factors that may be important targets for inhibiting the spread of Ebola” says Stephen Bart, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and first author of the study.
Source:https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2018/june/proteins-found-in-semen-increase-the-spread-of-ebola-virus-infection
Paper:http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/06/20/1721646115
Source: Corina Marinescu
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