Abstract

ZULEMA ZENAS, G.. Presence of SARS-CoV-2 in semen of men with COVID-19: a systematic review. Horiz. Med. [online]. 2021, vol.21, n.4, e1390.  Epub Dec 03, 2021. ISSN 1727-558X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.24265/horizmed.2021.v21n4.13.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unknown impact on the male reproductive health. Therefore, this article aimed to collect evidence to discover if the causative agent of COVID-19 is found in semen. A search was carried out in the PubMed, BVS and Google Scholar databases. Articles with results of semen analyses to determine the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in men diagnosed with COVID-19 were considered. Eleven studies with a total of 296 samples were collected in this review, out of which only 2.70 % showed positive results. In addition, mixed results regarding the morphology of the spermatozoa, as well as patients with azoospermia or oligospermia, were reported. The latter could be a consequence of the high levels of the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in the testes, making them a target organ for SARS-CoV-2. It is concluded that, due to the limited number of studies and samples, it is still not possible to answer this study question.

Keywords : Semen; Coronavirus infections; Semen analysis.

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