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. 2021 Jan;9(1):23-26.
doi: 10.1111/andr.12825. Epub 2020 Jun 14.

SARS-CoV-2 presence in seminal fluid: Myth or reality

Donatella Paoli  1 , Francesco Pallotti  1 , Ombretta Turriziani  2 , Laura Mazzuti  2 , Guido Antonelli  2 , Andrea Lenzi  1 , Francesco Lombardo  1
Affiliations

SARS-CoV-2 presence in seminal fluid: Myth or reality

Donatella Paoli et al. Andrology. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

Great concerns have been raised on SARS-CoV-2 impact on men's andrological well-being, and one of the critically unanswered questions is whether it is present or not in the seminal fluid of infected subjects. The expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in the testis and in the male genital tract allows speculations about a possible testicular involvement during the infection, possibly mediated by local and/or systemic inflammation that might allow a high viral load to overcome the hemato-testicular barrier. To date, few investigations have been carried out to ascertain the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the seminal fluid with contrasting results. Furthermore, the cumulative number of subjects is far too low to answer the question unambiguously. Therefore, great caution is still needed when evaluating this data; otherwise, we risk unleashing unmotivated concerns in the scientific world with troublesome consequences in reproductive medicine.

Keywords: COVID-19; RT-PCR; SARS-CoV-2; seminal fluid; spermatozoa.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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