Sex After a Field Trip Yields Scientific Discovery 143
sciencehabit writes "A US vector biologist appears to have accidentally written virological history simply by having sex with his wife after returning from a field trip to Senegal. A study just released in Emerging Infectious Diseases suggests that the researcher, Brian Foy of Colorado State University, passed to his wife the Zika virus, an obscure pathogen that causes joint pains and extreme fatigue. If so, it would be the first documented case of sexual transmission of an insect-borne disease. The curious case also solves a viral mystery that's been going on for years."
Asked and answered. (Score:5, Informative)
They considered that, but circumstantial evidence pointed to sexual transmission. According to TFA, the virus has to complete a 2-week life cycle within the insect before it can infect the next human; Foy's wife fell ill just 9 days after his return. Thus she did not get it from an insect bite. In addition, the mosquitoes in that region are not known carriers. (Different species.)
Re:Asked and answered. (Score:3, Informative)
Mosquitos survive winters with -30C degrees. That is why we in early summer have bigger mosquitos than later on in mid summer. But they are not many.
Spiders the same way, but if a spider is woken up to early in the winter, as with a sudden hot winter in january to be frozen again in january it will not survive. No stored energy. Same thing with flies, big slow ones in spring. Very few though, then their offspring comes to life and are small.
But to the point, a mosquito can survive that very well. But if that is the likely explanation, I wont even comment on. I guess those who made the report, knows about the possibilities, and taken them into account.