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This from Science Advances dated 22 Feb, but just now floating to the top:
From the abstract (abridged - bold is mine)
Zika virus ... found to cause fetal infection and neonatal abnormalities, including microcephaly and neurological dysfunction. ZIKV persists in the semen months after the acute viremic phase in humans.
[...] ZIKV replication persists within the testes even after clearance from the blood, with interstitial, testosterone-producing Leydig cells supporting virus replication. We found high levels of viral RNA and antigen within the epididymal lumen, where sperm is stored, and within surrounding epithelial cells.
Unexpectedly, at 21 days post-infection, the testes of the ZIKV-infected mice were significantly smaller compared to those of mock-infected mice, indicating progressive testicular atrophy. ZIKV infection caused a reduction in serum testosterone, suggesting that male fertility can be affected. Our findings have important implications for nonvector-borne vertical transmission, as well as long-term potential reproductive deficiencies, in ZIKV-infected males.
OMG.
Full paper: http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/2/e1602899.full
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1602899
(Score: 2) by Rivenaleem on Monday March 13 2017, @10:00AM (3 children)
Not a great show, however it had some interesting plot points, including sterilising males by way of virus.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Monday March 13 2017, @08:45PM (1 child)
Sterilizing men is quite inefficient at triggering extinction, because you literally "gotta catch them all".
We used to waste millions of men on wars, and that barely made a temporary dent in population growth...
(Score: 2) by Rivenaleem on Tuesday March 14 2017, @09:29AM
That's why you gotta go broad, fluoridate the water supply to interfere with the body's precious fluids.
(Score: 2) by DutchUncle on Wednesday March 15 2017, @05:56PM
One of the last episodes of Stargate had a future in which some benevolent aliens gave humanity the cures for all diseases. Nobody would suffer illness ever again, until they died of old age. And then someone noticed that nobody was suffering pregnancy, either.