COVID accumulates in the male reproductive organs, Tulane primate studies show | Coronavirus

New research from researchers in Tulane National Center for Primate Studies It suggests that coronavirus can infect four different areas of the male reproductive tract, adding evidence that COVID-19 infection can affect male childbirth.

At the Primates Center, a 500-acre complex in Covington, home to approximately 4,800 primates, the coronavirus infects the penis, prostate, testicles, and temperature-controlled venous network of three male rhesus monkeys. I found that.

When the study began, scientists thought that the coronavirus might be found in the gut like other similar viruses. But that’s not what they found, said Ronald Veazey, a professor of pathology at Tulane University School of Medicine and author of the study.

“Surprisingly, the male reproductive tract glowed like a Christmas tree,” Veazey said. “We didn’t even think about men. It happened to be a male macaque.”

Survey is preprint Not yet peer-reviewed. It also does not mention whether the effects on male organs are long-term, or whether high viral load corresponds to symptoms such as pain, erectile dysfunction, and decreased sperm count. Nonetheless, evidence is added to the increasing number of reports linking COVID infections to male reproductive problems.

Many studies have shown low sperm counts in reproductive-aged men, according to an analysis of the medical literature published in COVID-19. January 2022 Journal Urology..and Small study by Italian researchersMen were almost 6 times more likely to report erectile dysfunction after COVID infection.

“There is increasing evidence that the effects of the virus can go to almost every organ system, the digestive tract, the nervous system, and now the male reproductive organs, not just the respiratory system,” said Dr. Yujiang Fang. He is a urologist, a professor of pathology at Des Moines University, and an assistant professor of urology at the University of Missouri.

However, Fang, who was not involved in the study of primates, points out that this study is preliminary and that the results of animal studies are not always reproduced in humans. How long the virus stays in the human reproductive tract depends on the immune system and whether or not it is vaccinated.

According to Fang, some patients have reported erectile dysfunction after COVID infection, which is reflected in the growing number of studies. However, it may be due to another way the virus affected the organs, such as an inflammatory response or muscle damage, or other factors such as stress.

Anyway, both the study author and Fang said follow-up would be important to measure how coronavirus affects male childbirth.

“This will open new doors for studying SARS-CoV-2 in male germline cells,” Fang said.

The findings also highlight the increasing contrast between what scientists have learned about COVID and the false information that is disseminated through social media and other channels. There is widespread myth that the COVID vaccine can cause infertility in women and impotence in men, but researchers have not found evidence of this. However, studies such as Tulane suggest that there may be a risk of infertility due to COVID infection.

A year and a half ago, a study at the University of Tulane was conducted, and scientists were better aware of COVID-19 as a disease that could affect the cardiovascular system, not just a respiratory disease.

The male reproductive organ has a large network of blood vessels and numerous ACE2 enzymes that the coronavirus uses to bind cells. High levels of coronavirus make sense in the area, Veasey said.

“Which tissue in the body is the most responsive and the most swelling and contracting? Penis,” Veazey said. “That is the main goal.”

Obtaining approval for work with coronavirus and primates is a time-consuming process, but the group was able to try the same with the other two subjects. In this process, infected primates are infused with modified fluorescent antibodies that bind to the virus and special image scans are used to illuminate the most infected organs.

All three monkeys showed the same bright spots on male organs, even when other infected areas such as the lungs began to disappear in two weeks.

Although only three cases may sound small, testing this property in animals is far more controllable than in human studies, Veazey said. Scientists know exactly when they were infected, and instead of relying on people to self-report their accidental post-infection symptoms, scanning can be used to easily look for reproductive problems. I can do it.

“Three of the three are pretty amazing,” Veazey said.

To better understand the problem, Veazey said that people experiencing symptoms of erectile dysfunction should report it to their doctor. Researchers also urged vaccination to limit the level of viral replication.

“Vaccination is certainly another excuse,” Veazey said. “Any strong and energetic men who think the vaccine will hurt them should probably be reconsidered.”

Conducted by the Tulane Primate Center COVID research since the beginning of the pandemic As one of the seven primate research institutes studying infectious diseases nationwide. The facility has received $ 17.8 million to carry out COVID studies so far.

Emily Woodruff Covers Times Picayune Public Health | New Orleans advocates as a report for members of the US Corps.

To learn more about Report for America and support journalism Please click here.