Zika could spread through oral sex or ‘deep kissing,’ scientists find

A lot about the Zika virus is still unknown, but scientists are now saying it could be spread through oral sex as well as intercourse.

A 24-year-old Paris woman became infected with Zika after she had multiple sexual encounters with a man who had stayed in Brazil, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.

In an article published Thursday, scientists said the man and woman engaged in intercourse seven times without ejaculation and without the use of a condom. They also engaged in oral sex with ejaculation.

The woman’s saliva, urine and vaginal fluids were tested for the Zika virus three days after her symptoms started. Her saliva and urine tested positive for the virus, while the vaginal swab was negative.

The man’s saliva tested negative for the virus while his urine and semen tested positive. However, the man wasn’t tested until 10 days after the onset of his symptoms.

“These data support the hypothesis of sexual transmission (either oral or vaginal) of ZIKV from Patient 2 to Patient 1,” the reports says. “We cannot rule out the possibility that transmission occurred not through semen but through other biologic fluids, such as pre-ejaculate secretions or saliva exchanged through deep kissing.”

There has been no previous documentation of Zika being transmitted through saliva.

Zika’s symptoms are mild in adults but are associated with severe neurological complications in fetuses, so it is most harmful to women who are or want to become pregnant in the near future.

Zika is not widespread in the U.S., but at least a few cases exist in nearly every state.

This story was originally published June 3, 2016 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Zika could spread through oral sex or ‘deep kissing,’ scientists find."