ArticleAndrology2022
Testicular pathology in fatal COVID-19: A descriptive autopsy study.
Article in Andrology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
51 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 87 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Urological complications of COVID-19: a systematic review.International braz j urol : official journal of the Brazilian Society of UrologyPooled it
- Trial
- Chronic scrotal content pain and viral orchiepididymitis: an overlooked hypothesis linking infection and Wallerian degeneration.Basic and clinical andrology · 2026Review
- Ultrastructural Features, Immune Response, and Junctional Proteins in the Seminiferous Epithelium of SARS-CoV-2-Infected Mice.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences on men's reproductive health.Biophysical reviews · 2025Review
- Update on andrological effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19: An overview review.Andrology · 2025Review
- Effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on sperm telomere length.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2025Article
- SARS-CoV-2 exploits steroidogenic machinery, triggers lipid metabolism for viral replication and induces immune response in Leydig cells of K18-hACE2 mice.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Article
- SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine storm drives prolonged testicular injury and functional impairment in mice that are mitigated by dexamethasone.PLoS pathogens · 2025Article
- Immunohistochemical Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleoprotein and ACE2 Markers in Testicular Tumors Diagnosed During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Clinical Medicine Insights. Oncology · 2025Article
- A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis of Orchitis Research from 1980 to 2023.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2025Review
- Interferon epsilon is produced in the testis and protects the male reproductive tract against virus infection, inflammation and damage.PLoS pathogens · 2024Article
- Testicular immunity.Molecular aspects of medicine · 2024Review
- CD147 mediates S protein pseudovirus of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its induction of spermatogonia apoptosis.Endocrine · 2024Article
- Correlation between viral infections in male semen and infertility: a literature review.Virology journal · 2024Review
- Systematic analyses of the factors influencing sperm quality in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and semen quality: a study based on sperm donor candidate data in southwest China.Translational andrology and urology · 2024Article
- COVID-19 and male fertility: short- and long-term impacts of asymptomatic vs. symptomatic infection on male reproductive potential.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2024Article
- Comprehensive evaluation of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on sperm parameters and sex hormones.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMulti-organ damage is a common feature of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, going beyond the initially observed severe pneumonia. Evidence that the testis is also compromised is growing.
objectiveTo describe the pathological findings in testes from fatal cases of COVID-19, including the detection of viral particles and antigens, and inflammatory cell subsets. MATERIALS AND
methodsPostmortem testicular samples were obtained by percutaneous puncture from 11 deceased men and examined by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for RNA detection and by light and electron microscopy (EM) for SARS-CoV-2. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for the SARS-CoV-2 N-protein and lymphocytic and histiocytic markers was also performed.
resultsEight patients had mild interstitial orchitis, composed mainly of CD68+ and TCD8+ cells. Fibrin thrombi were detected in five cases. All cases presented congestion, interstitial edema, thickening of the tubular basal membrane, decreased Leydig and Sertoli cells with reduced spermatogenesis, and strong expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) in vessels. IHC detected SARS-Cov-2 antigen in Leydig cells, Sertoli cells, spermatogonia, and fibroblasts in all cases. EM detected viral particles in the cytoplasm of fibroblasts, endothelium, Sertoli and Leydig cells, spermatids, and epithelial cells of the rete testis in four cases, while RT-PCR detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA in three cases. DISCUSSION AND
conclusionThe COVID-19-associated testicular lesion revealed a combination of orchitis, vascular changes, basal membrane thickening, Leydig and Sertoli cell scarcity, and reduced spermatogenesis associated with SARS-CoV-2 local infection that may impair hormonal function and fertility in men.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.