AIIMS study claims Covid infection may impact semen quality in men
The researchers also analysed the effect of the disease on semen quality and sperm DNA fragmentation index, which reflects the integrity of and the damage to the DNA, thereby detecting potential sperm damage.
FollowA study by the researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) revealed that infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus may negatively impact semen quality. The team led by researchers at AIIMS Patna noted that Covid-19 can lead to multiorgan damage through the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 receptor (ACE2), abundant in testicular tissue.
ACE2 acts as the receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, through which the virus gains entry into the host cells. However, little information is available regarding the shedding of SARS-CoV-2 in semen -- the thick, white fluid that contains sperm -- and its impact on sperm formation and fertility potential.
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The study, published in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science, investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the semen of Covid-19 males. The researchers also analysed the effect of the disease on semen quality and sperm DNA fragmentation index, which reflects the integrity of and the damage to the DNA, thereby detecting potential sperm damage.
Thirty Covid-19 male patients aged 19-45 registered to AIIMS Patna hospital participated in the study between October 2020 and April 2021.
"We conducted a real-time reverse transcriptase test on all the semen samples. Detailed semen analysis, including the sperm DNA fragmentation index, was done at first sampling that is during Covid-19," the authors of the study said.
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The study, including researchers from AIIMS Mangalagiri and AIIMS New Delhi, found that all semen samples collected in the first and second sampling tested with real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were negative for SARS-CoV-2.
In the first sampling, semen volume, vitality, total motility, sperm concentration, and total sperm count were significantly lower, the researchers said.
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In contrast, semen agglutination or formation of sperm heaps, head defect, DNA fragmentation index, liquefaction time, semen viscosity, and leukocytes or white blood cells, were increased. Liquefaction time is a measure of the time it takes for the semen to turn into liquid while viscosity is the thickness of the seminal fluid.
(With inputs from PTI)
