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.
Reproductive biomedicine online. 2020 Jun 03 [Epub ahead of print]
Gulam Bahadur, Santanu Acharya, Asif Muneer, Judith Huirne, Mariusz Łukaszuk, Pablo Alexis Doreski, Roy Homburg
Reproductive Medicine Unit, North Middlesex University Hospital, London, UK; Homerton Fertility Centre, Homerton University Hospital, London, UK. Electronic address: ., Ayrshire Fertility Unit, University Hospital Crosshouse, Kilmarnock, Scotland., University College London Hospital, London, UK., University Medical Centers Amsterdam, Location VUmc and AMC, Research Institute Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands., NoweOrlowo Medical Center, Gdynia, Poland., FundacionRespirar, Buenos Aires, Argentina., Homerton Fertility Centre, Homerton University Hospital, London, UK.