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Volume 23, Number 4—April 2017
Research Letter

Ebola Virus RNA in Semen from an HIV-Positive Survivor of Ebola

Lawrence J. Purpura1Comments to Author , Emerson Rogers1, April Baller, Stephen White, Moses Soka, Mary J. Choi, Nuha Mahmoud, Christine Wasunna, Moses Massaquoi, Jomah Kollie, Straker Dweh, Philip Bemah, Victor Ladele, Jonathan Kpaka, Mary Jawara, Margaret Mugisha, Onyekachi Subah, Mylene Faikai, Jeff A. Bailey, Pierre E. Rollin, Barbara J. Marston, Tolbert G. Nyenswah, Alex Gasasira, Barbara Knust, Stuart T. Nichol, and Desmond Williams
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (L.J. Purpura, M.J. Choi, P. Rollin, B. Marston, B. Knust, S. Nichol, D. Williams); Ministry of Health, Monrovia, Liberia (E. Rogers, M. Soka, M. Massaquoi, P. Bemah, T. Nyenswah); World Health Organization, Monrovia (A. Baller, N. Mahmoud, J. Kollie, V. Ladele, M. Mugisha, A. Gasasira); Academic Consortium Combating Ebola in Liberia, Monrovia (S. White, C. Wasunna, S. Dweh, J. Kapka, O. Subah, J.A. Bailey); Men’s Health Screening Program, Monrovia (M. Jawara, M. Faikai)

Main Article

Figure

Ebola virus RNA detected by RT-PCR in semen samples from an HIV-positive survivor (48-year-old man) of Ebola virus disease, Monrovia, Liberia, 2009–2016. RT-PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values for Ebola virus VP40 and NP gene targets are reported by days from the patient’s discharge from the ETU to collection of a semen specimen. A gene target is considered detected if the Ct is <40. If gene amplification is not demonstrated within 40 cycles, then the gene target is considered undetectable and no

Figure. Ebola virus RNA detected by RT-PCR in semen samples from an HIV-positive survivor (48-year-old man) of Ebola virus disease, Monrovia, Liberia, 2009–2016. RT-PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values for Ebola virus VP40 and NP gene targets are reported by days from the patient’s discharge from the ETU to collection of a semen specimen. A gene target is considered detected if the Ct is <40. If gene amplification is not demonstrated within 40 cycles, then the gene target is considered undetectable and no Ct is reported. All undetectable results are indicated as Ct values of 40. CD4 cell counts per microliter were 46 on October 20, 2009; 48 on November 12, 2009; 358 on March 25, 2010; 358 on April 22, 2010; 563 on November 22, 2010; 824 on January 22, 2013; 459 on April 24, 2014; and 529 on August 9, 2016. The patient had a CD4 cell count of 529/μL 699 days after discharge from the Ebola treatment unit. On November 12, 2009, the patient was given an ART regimen of zidovudine/lamivudine/nevirapine. On April 22, 2010, the ART regimen changed to zidovudine/lamivudine/lopinavir plus ritonavir. ART, antiretroviral therapy; Ct, cycle threshold; ETU, Ebola treatment unit; NP, nucleoprotein, RT-PCR, reverse transcription PCR; VP40; viral structural protein 40.

Main Article

1These authors contributed equally to this article.

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