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New research out of Louisiana suggests thatCOVID-19could infect tissues inside the male genital tract.
Researchers at Tulane National Primate Research Center recently tested three male rhesus macaques (also known as rhesus monkeys) to see where the coronavirus was located within their bodies,according to a non-peer-reviewed study.
Thomas Hope, a senior author of the paper and a professor of cell and developmental biology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said researchers “had no idea we would find [COVID-19] there,” according toThe New York Times.
“The signal that jumped out at us was the complete spread through the male genital tract,” Hope added.
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COVID-19 has previously beenlinked to erectile dysfunction (ED)that can linger in men that have contracted the virus. Studies suggest that around 10 to 20 percent of men that contract COVID-19 experience symptoms linked to male genital tract dysfunction, theTimesreports.
In November 2021,a University of Florida Health studysuggested that men who have contracted COVID-19 are more than three times as likely to be diagnosed with ED than those who have not, in addition to “emerging evidence that COVID-19 might impact sexual function.”
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“The receptor that the coronavirus binds to is abundant on the penis and testes. The virus can bind to those areas,” Katz said, per UF Health News, later adding that, “the loss of testosterone has been shown to put someone at risk of having a more severe outcome from COVID-19.”
Kevin J. Campbell, M.D., an assistant professor in the UF College of Medicine’s department of urology specializing in men’s health, believes a link between ED and COVID-19 is plausible considering other viral illnesses like the flu have been linked to similar issues, according to UF Health News.
“You’ve got chronic inflammation throughout the body going on during viral infection, and getting back to your homeostasis and your normal body rhythms can take time,” said Campbell, who did not participate in the study.
In October 2021, the Urologists United For Vaccination Educationproduced a PSAfeaturingSaturday Night Livealum Tim Meadows to bring awareness to the issue.
In the clip, Chicago urologist Dr. Larry Levine, Dr. Amy Pearlman from Iowa City and Dr. Brian Le from Madison, Wisconsin, ask men to “get vaccinated” and “do it for your penis.”
source: people.com
