Brazilian researchers have found that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus can persist in semen for 110 days after infection. This is why they recommend waiting at least six months before trying to conceive or donate sperm, even in the case of mild Covid.
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 the pathogen responsible for COVID-19 pandemic can persist for 110 days (or more) in semen of patients after diagnosis. This is what emerged from a new study that investigated the potential in depth reproductive risks of the infection. It has been known for years that the virus despite being technically classified among the respiratory pathogens, is able to easily infect the cells of almost every tissue in the human body. It had already emerged in 2020 that it was capable of invading semen And testicles as highlighted by studies of the General Hospital of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and indications of the Italian Society of Urology (SIU), but until today it was not clear whether it could directly attack the spermatozoa and the persistence time in seminal fluid.
A Brazilian research team led by scientists from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo, who collaborated closely, determined that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus can be detected in semen approximately four months after the diagnosis of the infection. contact with colleagues from different institutes. Among those involved are the Androscience Institute, the Department of Preclinical Sciences of the University of La Frontera and the Justus Liebig Giessen University. The researchers, coordinated by Professor Jorge Hallak, professor at the Division of Urology of the Carioca University, reached their conclusions after analyzing the sperm samples of 13 patients affected by COVID-19 (with mild to severe symptoms) aged between 21 and 50, all hospitalized at the Hospital das Clínicas, the university hospital of the University of São Paulo.
First they subjected the samples to tests polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to locate the Viral DNA, but all tests came back negative. The “surprise” came when the seminal fluid was analyzed with real-time PCR and the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can detect viral RNA. The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus emerged in 72.7 percent of samples of people who had moderate and severe Covid (8 out of 11). The virus was later also detected in one of the patients with the mild form of the infection. One of the most significant aspects lies in the fact that the pathogen was present more than three months after discharge from hospital and 110 days after diagnosis of the infection; it is possible that SARS-CoV-2 could have been present before and above all persisted for longer in the seminal fluid, prolonging the times detected.
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Another very interesting detail of the Brazilian study is the discovery that the spermatozoa produced “ neutrophil extracellular traps ” (NET), an immune defense system to try to block and kill viral particles. “We found that sperm produced “extracellular traps” based on nuclear DNA. In other words, the genetic material in the nucleus decondensed, the cell membranes of the spermatozoa ruptured, and the DNA was expelled into the extracellular medium, forming networks similar to those previously described in the systemic inflammatory response to SARS-CoV-2.” , Professor Hallak told the FAPESP agency. “The discovery that spermatozoa are part of the innate immune system and help defend the body from attack by pathogens is unique in the literature and makes the study very important. It can be considered a scientific paradigm shift,” commented the expert.
The fact that the virus remains for so long in the seminal fluid – altering its quality – can represent a problem for the reproductive health which is precisely why Professor Hallak advises those who want to have children to wait at least six months from the infection to try to conceive. The same “quarantine” should be followed by those who donate sperm. A study on Danish donors has highlighted that, during the pandemic, the density and number of motile spermatozoa, which are fundamental for fertility, have collapsed. According to experts, however, it would not be a direct effect of the pathogen, but of the consequences of lockdown and other measures that have changed routines and lifestyle habits, capable of negatively influencing sperm quality. The details of the Brazilian study “Transmission electron microscopy reveals the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in human spermatozoa associated with an ETosis-like response” were published in the specialized scientific journal Andrology.