Semen May Facilitate Mpox Infection
Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
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- Researchers at Goethe University and University Hospital Frankfurt found that semen may facilitate mpox infection.
- Naturally occurring protein fragments in seminal fluid can form fiber-like structures that help the virus attach to human cells.
- The finding does not implicate sperm cells themselves and follows the WHO's declaration of an international health emergency over an mpox variant spreading in Africa in August 2024.
Semen may help mpox viruses attach to human cells, according to a study by researchers at Goethe University and University Hospital Frankfurt.
The researchers are not pointing to sperm cells themselves. Instead, they identified naturally occurring protein fragments in seminal fluid that can form fiber-like structures. These structures may make it easier for the virus to dock onto human cells and establish an infection.
The finding offers an explanation for the particularly high transmission risk associated with sexual contact. The study comes after the World Health Organization declared an international health emergency in August 2024 because of the spread of an mpox variant in Africa.
About this summary
Originally published by Der Standard in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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