Research has indicated that coronavirus could be transmitted sexually after the disease was discovered to be present in the semen of patients with coronavirus.
According to CNN, Chinese researchers on Thursday said that the new coronavirus can persist in men’s semen even after they have started recovering.
These findings were released after a team at Shangqiu Municipal Hospital tested 38 male patients treated there at the height of the pandemic in China, in January and February.
It was discovered that about 16% of them had evidence of the coronavirus in their semen and about a quarter of them were in the acute stage of infection and nearly 9% of them were recovering.
“We found that SARS-CoV-2 can be present in the semen of patients with COVID-19, and SARS-CoV-2 may still be detected in the semen of recovering patients,” Diangeng Li of Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital in Beijing and colleagues wrote.
“Even if the virus cannot replicate in the male reproductive system, it may persist, possibly resulting from the privileged immunity of testes,” the team added.
Privileged immunity means the immune system cannot fully reach the region to attack viral invaders.
The report said if proven that COVID-19 can be transmitted sexually, sexual transmission might be a critical part of the prevention of transmission.
“Abstinence or condom use might be considered as preventive means for these patients. In addition, it is worth noting that there is a need for studies monitoring fetal development. Therefore, to avoid contact with the patient’s saliva and blood may not be enough, since the survival of SARS-CoV-2 in a recovering patient’s semen maintains the likelihood to infect others.”
