1. Pathological Findings in the Testes of COVID-19 Patients: Clinical Implications
- Author
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Knarik Arkun, Jun Fan, Jun He, Xue Fei Li, Ming Yang, Shuo Chen, Dan Ju Luo, Bo Huang, Xiao Na Chang, Yajun Chen, Xiu Nie, Xiang Li, Ming Zhou, Lin Ma, Jun Jie Zhou, Jing Min Zhong, Qin Cao, and Hua Su
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Pathology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Sperm donation ,Urology ,Pneumonia, Viral ,030232 urology & nephrology ,Inflammation ,Cell Count ,Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ,Virus ,Article ,film.subject ,03 medical and health sciences ,Betacoronavirus ,0302 clinical medicine ,Testis ,medicine ,Humans ,Spermatogenesis ,Pathological ,Pandemics ,Histiocyte ,Aged ,Postmortem needle autopsy ,Aged, 80 and over ,Sertoli Cells ,business.industry ,Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ,SARS-CoV-2 ,COVID-19 ,Leydig Cells ,Middle Aged ,Seminiferous Tubules ,Sertoli cell ,Microscopy, Electron ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Fertility ,film ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Immunohistochemistry ,Testicular Involvement ,Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 ,medicine.symptom ,business ,Coronavirus Infections - Abstract
Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), involves multiple organs. Testicular involvement is largely unknown. Objective To determine the pathological changes and whether SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in the testes of deceased COVID-19 patients. Design, setting, and participants Postmortem examination of the testes from 12 COVID-19 patients was performed using light and electron microscopy, and immunohistochemistry for lymphocytic and histiocytic markers. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the virus in testicular tissue. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis Seminiferous tubular injury was assessed as none, mild, moderate, or severe according to the extent of tubular damage. Leydig cells in the interstitium were counted in ten 400× microscopy fields. Results and limitations Microscopically, Sertoli cells showed swelling, vacuolation and cytoplasmic rarefaction, detachment from tubular basement membranes, and loss and sloughing into lumens of the intratubular cell mass. Two, five, and four of 11 cases showed mild, moderate, and severe injury, respectively. The mean number of Leydig cells in COVID-19 testes was significantly lower than in the control group (2.2 vs 7.8, p, Take Home Message We found significant injury in the testes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. However, the virus was not detected in the testes in the majority of cases. These findings can provide evidence-based guidance for sperm donation and inform management strategies to mitigate the risk of testicular injury during the COVID-19 disease course.
- Published
- 2020
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