Ebola Virus RNA Persists in Reproductive Tissues and Sperm of Male Ifnar1-/- Mice After Resolution of Viremia.

Ebola virus (EBOV) has been shown to persist in the reproductive tracts of male Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors ranging from months to years following recovery, with shedding of EBOV in semen leading to chains of disease transmission. In the current study, we used a mouse model of EBOV infection to investigate the timing of virus infiltration of the male reproductive tissues, the extent of virus persistence in these tissues, and the impact of persistence on tissue health. We challenged male Ifnar-/- mice with wild-type EBOV and collected blood, liver, testis, epididymis, and sperm samples longitudinally for 35 days. All EBOV-challenged mice that were tested 3 days post-infection were viremic, and EBOV RNA was detected in reproductive samples up to 35 days post-infection. Epididymis and sperm samples were notable for detection of EBOV RNA at low cycle thresholds on day 3, and for high frequency of detection in samples up to 21 days post-infection. Testicular tissue histopathology was relatively mild during acute infection, but perturbations of interstitial tissue continued up to 35 days post-infection. Our findings support previous evidence of the risk of sexual transmission of persistent EBOV infections and highlight the potential impact of these infections on male fertility.