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The Washington University School of Medicine, or better known as Wash U, undertook a study on the effects of Zika on male mice. The virus wrought havoc to the reproductive system of the mice, alarming medical practitioners that Zika may also cause infertility on infected men.

Wash U has made astounding discoveries about the intricate workings of the Zika virus particularly on its effect on the reproductive system of the mice, the WGRZ reported. The testicles of the Zika infected mice shrunk by 90 percent and testosterone-sperm levels significantly dropped.

Unlike other virus, Zika is the only one to cross the blood-testes barrier, where immune cells do not even dare to go. Wash U discovered that Zika not just crosses over, but also attacks Sertoli cells, which sustain sperm cells and protect developing ones. Sertoli cells do not generate, which accounts for infertility in mice.

The new study conducted by Wash U plays a vital role in understanding the Zika virus infection and hopefully to find a cure or a Zika vaccine. The study will also pave way for further research on Zika infected men to ascertain if the virus will affect humans in the same way.

Dr. Michael Diamond, Assoc. Dir. of the Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs in Wash U, claims that the new study is specifically aimed to look into how Zika affects men, according to a CNN report. Though human beings are not mice, there is a probability that the virus may also cause infertility in men since there is a precedent on how Zika interacts with a mammalian host.

Medical tests have also confirmed that the Zika virus can survive for months in a man's reproductive system. Traces of RNA, the virus' signature makeup, have been discovered in a man's sexual organ six months after being cleared from the infection. As of now, more research is needed to ascertain if Zika indeed harms men and causes permanent damage like infertility.