A recent research study recommending that the novel coronavirus builds up in the testes has actually gained substantial limelights. In this article, we see how experts have actually responded to the theory.
In their paper, the authors of the study suggest that the testes might function as a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2, the virus accountable for COVID-19 Here, we find out what other researchers think of this idea.
Although there has been broad protection of the research study, the theory has some considerable issues, as the comments listed below outline.
To start with, we will quickly sum up the study and its findings. The paper has actually not yet been released in a peer-reviewed journal, however it is readily available on a preprint server called MedRxiv
Earlier research has actually shown that males are substantially more likely to pass away due to COVID-19 than women.
The authors of the current study wished to investigate why this disparity between sexes exists. They thought that males might take longer to clear the virus from their body than females.
To examine, they recruited 68 participants aged 3–75 years. Of these, 48 were male, and 20 were female.
As they anticipated, in this little group of individuals, the scientists found that women cleared the infection, typically, 2 days earlier than males. Next, they wished to understand why it may take longer for males.
SARS-CoV-2 needs a specific receptor to go into human tissue. This receptor, called angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), appears in numerous areas of the body, including the lungs and testes. The researchers examined various tissue websites and noted that the expression of ACE2 was especially high in the testes. Conversely, they found very little ACE2 expression in ovarian tissue.
The authors end their abstract with a theory:
” High expression of ACE2 in testes raises the possibility that testicular viral reservoirs might play a role in viral perseverance in males and should be further investigated.”
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