hi RRrr
re semen and infectivity, I can't quite recall....will check a few sources and see if I can locate this again. It stuck with me because I thought that was the kind of thing we might expect to see as an up coming research study and it made me think...that perhaps this rendered XMRV a much greater transmission risk in so far as sexual activity was concerned, than via other channels and would mean risk of transmission continues beyond the 6 six week window Dr Bell speaks of.
firstly, I think there will need to be quite significant studies on this issue, but should this be shown through further study, then to answer your question, I would probably say yes. I think personally, if your in a relationship and your XMRV + it would be useful to know the status of your partner for the very reason you suggest, until we know more...or employ safe sex practices etc.
Re Dr Bells and the observations of other drs, yes...there have been varying reports on couples and illness spread.
Again this is something that will have to be carefully studied. XMRV infected PWCFS might transpire to be only a small percentage of the total CFS population (as WPI went looking for it in the sickest of the CFS patients.) Therefore, an observation of a wide spread of CFS patients over a long period with low risk of associated illness in a partner might not be as meaningful as say, isolating the sickest of that population (that are now XMRV+) and then looking at prevalence of illness in partners.
The bottom line for partners is really how robust their immune systems are, as to their degree of risk. This is also relevant to HIV susceptibility. Of course none of us have any idea of when our immune system might reach that critical point where it might fail and if partners find the idea of getting tested confronting or premature at this stage, then looking after their immune health, engaging in safe sex and other precautions make sene where one person is positive and the other negative or status unknown.....until science can tell us more.
