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Case Reports
. 2020 Dec;43(12):1819-1822.
doi: 10.1007/s40618-020-01261-1. Epub 2020 Apr 23.

Study of SARS-CoV-2 in semen and urine samples of a volunteer with positive naso-pharyngeal swab

D Paoli  1 , F Pallotti  1 , S Colangelo  1 , F Basilico  2 , L Mazzuti  3 , O Turriziani  3 , G Antonelli  3 , A Lenzi  1 , F Lombardo  4
Affiliations
Case Reports

Study of SARS-CoV-2 in semen and urine samples of a volunteer with positive naso-pharyngeal swab

D Paoli et al. J Endocrinol Invest. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Introduction: The recent appearance of SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan in 2019 has started a pandemic which has involved over a million people worldwide. A matter of debate is the possible viral detection in different body fluids than respiratory droplets. Thus, we evaluated the possible presence of SARS-CoV-2 in semen and urine samples of a volunteer with confirmed COVID-19.

Materials and methods: A 31-year-old man with fever, myalgia, anosmia, and ageusia was tested and found positive for SARS-CoV-2 through a pharyngeal swab. Eight days after he provided semen and urine samples in which viral RNA presence was measured using a Real time RT PCR system (RealStar SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR, Altona Diagnostics) targeting E and S viral genes.

Results and discussion: Semen and urine samples search for SARS-CoV-2 RNA was negative. Although this should be interpreted cautiously, it may be possible that either the viral clearance kinetics in these matrices matches the progressive clinical recovery of the patient or that the virus was never present in these fluids at the time of the laboratory diagnosis.

Keywords: COVID-19; Pharyngeal swab; SARS-CoV-2; Semen fluid.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Temporal description of COVID-19 symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 testing in the volunteer subject
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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