This archive report was first published on 8 May 2020.
Scientists are still learning about the ways the coronavirus moves through the body. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medicine Association on May 7, 2020, found that viral particles were present in semen samples from 16% of male COVID-19 patients studied.
The study, which involved 38 male patients in a hospital in the Henan province, found that the virus was present in semen from both patients who had active infections and those who had recovered.
However, the researchers are not yet sure whether the finding means the virus can be sexually transmitted. They noted that the virus can spread via saliva droplets, but it's unclear how exactly the coronavirus entered the patients' testes.
The researchers also pointed out that many types of viruses that aren't typical STIs have been found in semen in the past, and that the presence of viruses in semen may be more common than currently understood.
More research is needed on the possibility of sexual transmission of the coronavirus, the researchers said.
It's also possible that the coronavirus particles in semen wouldn't be infectious, but this too requires further investigation.
