Objective To investigate the presence of viral RNA in human semen of patients with severe acute-respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and to evaluate its presence and relevance in semen parameters. Design Pilot cohort study. Setting University hospital. Patient(s) Thirty-four men were distributed as: 1) patients in convalescence (patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in pharyngeal swab according to reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR] or antibodies); 2) negative control group (no antibodies); and 3) patients with an acute infection (detection of SARS-CoV-2 in pharyngeal swab). Intervention Semen and a blood sample were collected from each individual. Main Outcome Measure(s) Analysis of semen quality according to the World Health Organization standards. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR in the native semen sample and after density gradient preparation. Confirmation of immunoglobulin (Ig) A und IgG antibodies in the blood. Result(s) Eighteen semen samples from recovered men were obtained 8–54 days after absence of symptoms, 14 from control subjects, and 2 from patients with an active COVID-19 infection. No RNA was detected by means of RT-PCR in the semen, including semen samples from two patients with an acute COVID-19 infection. Subjects with a moderate infection showed an impairment of sperm quality. Conclusion(s) A mild COVID-19 infection is not likely to affect testis and epididymis function, whereas semen parameters did seem impaired after a moderate infection. SARS-CoV-2 RNA could not be detected in semen of recovered and acute COVID-19–positive men. This suggests no viral transmission during sexual contact and assisted reproductive techniques, although further data need to be obtained.

中文翻译：

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评估人类精液中的 SARS-CoV-2 - 一项队列研究

目的 调查严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 患者精液中病毒 RNA 的存在情况，并评估其在精液参数中的存在情况和相关性。设计试点队列研究。设置大学医院。患者 34 名男性分布为： 1) 恢复期患者（根据逆转录聚合酶链反应 [RT-PCR] 或抗体确认咽拭子感染 SARS-CoV-2 的患者）；2）阴性对照组（无抗体）；3) 急性感染患者（在咽拭子中检测到 SARS-CoV-2）。干预从每个个体收集精液和血液样本。主要结果测量 根据世界卫生组织标准分析精液质量。通过 RT-PCR 在天然精液样本中和密度梯度制备后检测 SARS-CoV-2。确认血液中的免疫球蛋白 (Ig) A 和 IgG 抗体。结果 18 份来自康复男性的精液样本在无症状后 8-54 天采集，14 份来自对照组，2 份来自活动性 COVID-19 感染患者。通过 RT-PCR 在精液中未检测到 RNA，包括来自两名急性 COVID-19 感染患者的精液样本。中度感染的受试者表现出精子质量受损。结论 轻度 COVID-19 感染不太可能影响睾丸和附睾功能，而中度感染后精液参数似乎确实受损。在康复和急性 COVID-19 阳性男性的精液中无法检测到 SARS-CoV-2 RNA。