A new study by Chinese researchers has found coronavirus particles in the semen of 16% of male patients studied. The virus was present in the semen of both patients who had active infections and those who had recovered .
Researchers are not yet sure whether the virus can be transmitted through sexual contact.
Sexual transmission
The team of researchers took semen samples from 38 male patients at a hospital in Henan province, which borders Wuhan, between January 26 and February 16 .
The researchers detected the virus in semen in six of the 38 patients, about 16%. Of the six, four were in the acute stage of active infection and two had recovered . The six who tested positive were between the ages of 20 and 50.
They don’t know how exactly the coronavirus got into the testicles of patients, but the barrier between the bloodstream and various parts of the penis is imperfect, so viruses can pass through it . Still, the researchers noted that they are not sure whether the virus can be transmitted sexually between people.
It is also possible that coronavirus particles in semen are not infectious . Thus, more research is needed on the possibility of sexual transmission of the coronavirus.