Does it matter that traces of coronavirus have been found in semen?
By Alison Motluk,
HeyReprotech Newsletter
| 05. 12. 2020
Genes from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have been found in semen from infected patients. Should we be concerned?
Genes from the virus that causes COVID-19 have been found in the semen of men who had the disease, according to a paper published last week in the journal JAMA Network Open. A previous study and a case report had found no evidence of the virus in semen.
The new study, by Shixi Zhang at the Shangqiu Municipal Hospital in Shangqiu City, China, and colleagues, examined the semen of 38 patients — 23 who had recently recovered and 15 who were acutely ill. Six had results that were positive for the virus. Two of those cases were from among the recovered, and four were from men still ill.
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, had previously been detected in stool, urine and saliva, but never before in semen.
The study was small, and did not investigate how long after recovery the virus might remain or if it could be transmitted. But the findings raise interesting questions.
The researchers say that the presence of viruses in semen may be more common than currently appreciated. They point out that 27 viruses...
Related Articles
By Elizabeth Dwoskin and Zoeann Murphy, The Washington Post | 10.01.2025
MEXICO CITY — When she walked into an IVF clinic in June, Alin Quintana knew it would be the last time she would try to conceive a child. She had prepared herself spiritually and mentally for the visit: She had traveled to a nearby...
By Rob Stein, NPR | 09.30.2025
Scientists have created human eggs containing genes from adult skin cells, a step that someday could help women who are infertile or gay couples have babies with their own genes but would also raise difficult ethical, social and legal issues...
By Jessica Mouzo, El País | 10.03.2025
DNA is the molecule of life: this double-helix structure, present in every cell in the body and organized into fragments called genes, stores the instructions for making organisms function. It is a highly precise biological machine, but sometimes it breaks...
GeneWatch UK has prepared a briefing on the genetic modification of nature for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Congress in October 2025
The upcoming Congress claims to be “where the world comes together to set priorities and drive conservation and sustainable development action.” A major concern for those on the outside is that the Congress may advance plans to develop and encourage the use of synthetic biology in nature conservation. This could at first glance sound like...