Coronavirus Is Found In Semen. But Sexually Transmitted COVID-19 Hasn't Been Proven

Coronavirus is found in semen. But sexually transmitted COVID-19 hasn't been proven

In a new study, the genetic material of the coronavirus was found in the semen of 16% of infected men. But whether these were viable viruses and whether COVID-19 can be sexually transmitted is unknown.

Photo: CC0 Public Domain

The discovery was made by Chinese scientists. Their new research is published in the JAMA Network Open. The authors draw attention to the fact that their discovery does not prove that COVID-19 is sexually transmitted.

Scientists recruited 38 patients from Shangqiu Municipal Hospital in Henan Province, China. The participants were men between the ages of 15 and 59 and all tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

Using a PCR reaction, regions of the RNA of the virus were found in the semen of six study participants - about 16%. Four patients with a positive sperm test for SARS-CoV-2 were acutely infected; two patients were from the convalescent team.

In the text of the scientific work, the authors indicated that it is not known whether the virus can multiply in the male reproductive system. They suggested that his presence there may be facilitated by the fact that the testes are at least partially protected from the effects of the immune system.

Scientists noted that if future research proved that SARS-CoV-2 can be sexually transmitted, it would change the way we look at COVID-19 prevention.

“This is an interesting finding, but it still needs to be confirmed that it was a viable virus and not just virus particles in semen,” commented Stanley Perlman, a microbiologist and professor at the University of Iowa, who did not accept participation in the study.