A recent study from the University of Sao Paulo reveals that COVID-19 can impact male reproductive health for an extended period. Updated:
Recent studies have raised concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on male fertility, with the virus potentially persisting in sperm for up to 90 days after hospital discharge and even up to 110 days after initial infection. This presence may significantly affect semen quality.
“Even though this virus is scarcely found in human semen polymerase chain reaction tests, autopsy studies confirm the viral presence in all testicular cell types, including spermatozoa and spermatids” the study noted.
The study aimed to investigate if SARS-CoV-2 is present in sperm of PCR-negative men up to 3 months post-discharge. The team conducted their research on 13 confirmed moderate to severe COVID-19 patients. They were within 30-90 days of them being affected.
The team collected semen samples and examined them with real-time polymerase chain reaction for RNA detection and transmission electron microscopy.
“We identified the severe acute syndrome coronavirus 2 inside spermatozoa in nine of 13 patients. Up to 90 days after discharge from the hospital. Moreover, some DNA-based extracellular traps were reported in all studied specimens,” the study added.
The study demonstrated that while acute syndrome coronavirus 2 was not present in the infected men’s semen, “it was intracellularly present in the spermatozoa till 3 months after hospital discharge.”
Electron microscopy (EM) findings indicate that sperm cells create extracellular traps using nuclear DNA, likely relying on cell-free DNA. This process is similar to what occurs in the body’s inflammatory response to COVID-19.
In moderate-to-severe cases of infection, the blood test barrier offers limited protection against various viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. The study suggests that the virus might also use the epididymis to attach to mature sperm and possibly convert its RNA into DNA.
“These mechanisms can elicit extracellular cell-free DNA formation. The potential implications of our findings for assisted conception must be addressed,” explained the study.
“The evolutionary history of DNA-based extracellular traps as preserved ammunition in animals’ innate defence might improve our understanding of the severe acute syndrome coronavirus 2 pathophysiology in the testis and spermatozoa.”