COVID-19 can infect penis and testicle cells and potentially cause erectile dysfunction, study finds

Daily Mail ^

[algore]

Previous research has found that male survivors of the virus sometimes suffer erectile dysfunction and other genital tract issues, though it is often believed to be a result of inflammation as an immune response to the virus.

These researchers now believe that it is the virus itself, not the immune system, causing genital issues for infected males, changing the calculous for how this type of condition would be treated.

Researchers, who posted their findings last week in bioRxiv pending peer review before journal publication, performed research on three male rhesus macaques, a breed of monkey often used for such studies because they have many genetic similarities with humans.

Each of the monkeys had body scans performed on them after they were infected with the virus in an effort to detect where traces of the virus were visible.

Dr Thomas Hope, lead researcher and a biology professor at Northwestern, told the New York Times that 'the signal in the penis was off the radar.'

Researchers found spread of the virus in the penis of all three animals. One of the animals had infection in its testicles as well.

The findings indicate that the virus managed to infect and spread within the monkey's penis, likely causing the animals genital tract issues, like erectile dysfunction.

Researchers believe this type of spread can cause major damage to the region of the body in both animals and humans.

[TonyinLA]

Shrinkage!

[HighSierra5]

I had covid last October. Didn’t affect me at all. Boing.

[ThunderSleeps]

Add Viagra to the vaxxes - it’ll give new meaning to the phrase “shot up.”

[Sequoyah101]

It also is prone to raise PSA numbers so be aware and wary of those lab results.

[RightWingNutJob69]

Monkey penis? I’ve been told by other females I have a whale penis.