So far, the presence of the genetic material of the virus has been detected in the seminal fluid of 6 of the 7 patients studied at Spallanzani, but in this case the virus has also been isolated in culture.
Researchers at the Spallanzani Institute are conducting further studies on the duration and persistence of the virus in sperm and other biological materials, to fully understand the mechanisms of human-to-human transmission of this virus. The discovery could particularly shed light on the
role of sexual transmission
hypothesized in the context of the current outbreak which involved over a thousand cases, reported by 28 countries around the world where this infection is not endemic.
This result follows the work of the Institute researchers on Monkeypox which led to the identification of the first Italian cases, the subject of an article in the journal of the European Center for Disease Control Eurosurveillance and the first sequencing of Monkeypox virus in Italy, which demonstrated the belonging of this virus to the strain responsible for the current international spread.
WHO: confirmed cases in Italy rise to 29 –
The cases of monkeypox registered in Italy as of 8 June rose to 29. The figure emerges from an update document of the World Health Organization published on 10 June. The highest numbers in the WHO European area are highlighted in Great Britain with 321 cases, Spain with 259 and Portugal with 191.
