Virus that causes COVID-19 can remain in sperm for 110 days after infection

Researchers detected SARS-CoV-2 in male reproductive cells under the microscope even when PCR testing failed to detect the virus in semen. The discovery serves as a warning of possible implications for natural conception and for assisted reproduction Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have shown for the first time that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can remain in the sperm of patients for up to 90 days after hospital discharge and up to 110 days after the initial infection, reducing semen quality. The study is reported in an article published in the journal Andrology. The authors suggest that people who plan to have children should observe a period of “quarantine” after recovering from COVID-19. More than four years after the start of the pandemic, we know SARS-CoV-2 is able to invade and destroy several types of human cells and tissue, including the reproductive system, where the testicles...