Deadly Hantavirus Could Survive in Sperm for 6 Years, Experts Warn of Silent Spread
Health officials monitoring the rare Andes strain of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak have uncovered new concerns about its long-term presence in the human body.
Study finds Andes hantavirus may persist in semen up to 71 months and could be sexually transmitted after recovery.
A peer-reviewed study published in the journal Viruses by researchers from the Spiez Laboratory in Switzerland examined a 55-year-old man who had been infected with the Andes strain six years earlier.
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The findings revealed a striking pattern: while the virus had completely disappeared from his blood, urine, and respiratory tract, it was still detectable in his semen.
This discovery led researchers to conclude that the virus may remain potentially transmissible for up to 71 months—around five years and 11 months—after initial infection.
The study emphasized that although the virus was cleared from most of the body, it persisted in the male reproductive system, raising concerns about possible sexual transmission.
According to the research team,
“Taken together, our results show that the Andes virus has the potential for sexual transmission,”
though they also noted that no confirmed case of sexually transmitted Andes virus has ever been documented.
Scientists explain that sperm cells are protected from immune system attacks, allowing certain pathogens to persist in the testes. This makes the testes a “safe harbor” for viruses such as hantavirus, Ebola, and Zika, which can remain in the body long after recovery.
Researchers describe the testes as a reservoir for at least 27 infectious diseases, enabling pathogens to survive and potentially spread years after infection.
The likelihood of viral persistence depends on factors such as viral load in the bloodstream during infection and the virus’s ability to replicate in the male reproductive tract.
Because of this, a recovered male patient could still potentially transmit the virus to a sexual partner long after recovery.
The study’s findings also draw parallels with other outbreaks. For example, a 2021 Ebola outbreak in Guinea, which caused 12 deaths, was later traced to a survivor of the 2014–2016 epidemic who unknowingly transmitted the virus through unprotected sex.
The Andes hantavirus outbreak itself, primarily spread by rodents but capable of rare person-to-person transmission, was reported in early May aboard the MV Hondius, a luxury expedition cruise ship.
The outbreak has so far resulted in three deaths, including a Dutch couple and a German national. The World Health Organization has stated that additional cases are expected from the cluster but emphasized that it is not comparable to COVID and does not pose a pandemic threat.
