Polio Virus Mutated Strain Lingered In British Man's Gut For Decades

A 29-year-old British man made history. After receiving the polio vaccine as an infant, health officials discovered that it had somehow mutated to a virulent strain that had been living in his gut for over just about 30 years now.

Fortunately, after all this time, the man has not had a single symptom of the virus. Yet researchers warn that he has been shedding highly contagious forms of it in his stool.

The Guardian reports that the young man, who will remain unnamed, received a mandatory full course of oral vaccinations of the weakened polio virus in the form of a sugar cube at five, seven and 12 months, along with a booster at seven. However, a non-related health condition that suppressed his immune system, preventing the body from destroying the virus resulted in the polio virus being able to live inside of his gut for his entire life, Live Science reports.

Oral versions of the vaccine are a bit more complicated as they use a live virus which can take up to two months to be excised from the gut. And in this man's case, it had lingered there and in his stool due to an immune disorder's inability to completely kill off the virus. In fact, researchers found more than 100 samples taken over the past 20 years that had returned significant levels of what had become a mutated virus.

As for how potent the virus has now become, researchers noted that it was actually now able to paralyze a mouse. However, it was harmless when tested on the blood of vaccinated humans.

More information regarding the information can be seen in the journal PLOS Pathogens.

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