The latest coronavirus threat really hits below the belt.
A new study claims the coronavirus can not only rob you of your taste and smell — it may leave men infertile and could be transmitted sexually.
The study, published last month in JAMA, a monthly open-access medical journal published by the American Medical Association, found the presence of COVID-19 in 15% of semen samples collected.
Researcher Dr. John Aitken likened it to the Zika virus. “It should be emphasized spermatozoa have a demonstrable capacity to carry viral infections from the male to the female reproductive tract, As happens during the sexual transmission of Zika, for example,” he told local San Antonio Fox 8. Zika virus is a mostly mosquito-borne virus that can also be sexually transmitted.
The study also found that COVID-19 in human sperm “leads to a build-up of angiotensin II, which is a hormone that regulates kidney function and blood pressure. Increased levels of this hormone cause an immune response against the invading COVID-19 virus particles that increases the availability of reactive oxygen species that causes cell death… Prolonged exposure to elevated angiotenstin II levels can lead to cell death in sperm.”
The study notes it could “ultimately result in a loss of male fertility.”
