May 11, 2020 16:00:00

Report that virus traces were detected from 'sperm' of patients with new coronavirus infection

Regarding the new coronavirus that is raging all over the world, some researchers say

that the new coronavirus is more likely to become more severe in men than women because the new coronavirus is hidden in the 'testicle' of men. Some people argue. Meanwhile, a study conducted in China found that 'traces of the new coronavirus were detected in the sperm of male COVID-19 patients.' The results of this research are published in JAMA Network Open , an open access medical journal.

Clinical Characteristics and Results of Semen Tests Among Men With Coronavirus Disease 2019 | Infectious Diseases | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2765654

Coronavirus found in semen of young men with COVID-19
https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-found-in-semen-of-young-men-with-covid-19-138059

A research team from the People's Liberation Army General Clinic, Diangeng Li and colleagues, collected semen samples from 38 male patients treated and treated for severe COVID-19 at the Shangqiu City Clinic in

Henan , China. Did. Of the 38, 23 (60.5%) had semen samples taken during the convalescent period, and 15 (39.5%) had samples taken during the acute period when severe symptoms persisted.

Researchers analyzed semen samples and found new coronavirus RNA in six samples. The breakdown is: 4 people were collected in the acute phase, 2 people were collected in the recovery phase, and the age of the patient, the history of urogenital diseases, the number of days after onset and hospitalization, etc. Was not positive for the new coronavirus.

In a previous study, it was reported that 'sperm was collected from 12 COVID-19 patients and analyzed, and no traces of the new coronavirus were found in the semen,' but this study newly added COVID- It has been shown that sperm from 19 patients may contain the novel coronavirus. The reason why the two studies differed in their results was that semen was collected from patients with severe COVID-19 in the convalescent phase in the previous study, whereas semen was collected from patients with severe COVID-19 in this study. The points are listed.

The reason why traces of the novel coronavirus were found in sperm suggests that the

testis'immunoprivileges ' may be involved. Immune privilege refers to the property that immune response or inflammatory reaction is unlikely to occur because the body is isolated from the immune system of the whole body or the self-regulation of organs works. It seems that the brain, eyes, hair, testes, etc. have immune privilege, and at these sites, the virus can escape from the host immune reaction.

In fact, was popular in the 2013 - 2016 Ebola haemorrhagic fever in the research on, even after more than one year from the recovery of the disease has passed cases of Ebola virus RNA was detected in the patient's semen has been reported, several months from recovery It has been pointed out that it can be transmitted by sexual intercourse.

Detection of new coronavirus RNA in semen does not necessarily indicate that there is 'new coronavirus infection through semen.' To confirm this point, it is necessary to determine whether the new coronavirus present in semen is infectious. It is also unknown until new research is conducted whether new coronavirus is detected in semen only in severely ill patients, or whether semen contains new coronavirus in mild or asymptomatic patients. is.

Even if the new coronavirus contained in the patient's semen is infectious, the acute phase patient with severe symptoms is not in a state of having sex, so there is a possibility of infection through sperm. It is low. In addition, because the new coronavirus has many non-sexual transmission routes by contact and droplets, it is difficult to judge how much the risk of spreading the infection increases, even if there is the possibility of being infected by sex. Said.