Transmission electron microscopy reveals the presence of SARS ‐CoV‐2 in human spermatozoa associated with an ETosis‐like response

Discussion and conclusionAlthough severe acute syndrome coronavirus 2 was not present in the infected men's semen, it was intracellularly present in the spermatozoa till 3 months after hospital discharge. The Electron microscopy (EM) findings also suggest that spermatozoa produce nuclear DNA-based extracellular traps, probably in a cell-free DNA-dependent manner, similar to those previously described in the systemic inflammatory response to COVID-19. In moderate-to-severe cases, the blood –testes barrier grants little defence against different pathogenic viruses, including the severe acute syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus could also use the epididymis as a post-testicular route to bind and fuse to the mature spermatozoon and possibly accomplish the reverse transcription of the sin gle-stranded viral RNA into proviral DNA. These mechanisms can elicit extracellular cell-free DNA formation. The potential implications of our findings for assisted conception must be addressed, and the evolutionary history of DNA-based extracellular traps as preserved ammunition in animals’ innat e defence might improve our understanding of the severe acute syndrome coronavirus 2 pathophysiology in the testis and spermatozoa.
Source: Andrology - Category: Urology & Nephrology Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research