SARS-CoV-2: diagnostic and design conundrums in the context of male factor infertility

Gulam Bahadur, Santanu Acharya, Asif Muneer, Judith Huirne, Mariusz Łukaszuk, Pablo Alexis Doreski, Roy Homburg

Research output: Contribution to journalComment/Letter to the editorAcademic

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The question of whether SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus-2 [SARS-CoV-2], leading to the COVID-19 infection) can be harboured in the testes and/or semen is currently unanswered. It is essential to understand the limitations of both antibody and real-time PCR tests in interpreting SARS-CoV-2 data in relation to analyses of semen and testicular tissue without appropriate controls. This article critically analyses the evidence so far on this, and the possible implications. The limitations of diagnostic tests in both sampling and testing methodologies, their validation and their relevance in interpreting data are also highlighted.

Original languageEnglish
JournalReproductive Biomedicine Online
Early online date2020
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 2020

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • Diagnosis
  • Infertility
  • Male factor
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Semen

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