(Snow Digon/ International Business Times) — Researchers of a new study suggest that men’s testicles may be playing a role in why male victims are dying from COVID-19 at twice the rate of female victims. While the study, if proven true and corroborated by other studies, may have dramatic implications to the ongoing fight against the infection, it actually runs in contrast with past researches. The new study has not been peer-reviewed and released before its publication on MedRxiv, a medical website.
The new study suggests that testicles may provide a safe sanctuary for the coronavirus against the body’s immune system, allowing the infection to last for a longer time in males. The study was conducted by New York-based oncologist Dr. Aditi Shastri and her mother, Dr. Jayanthi Shastri, a microbiologist with Kasturba Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Mumbai, India.
According to the mother-daughter researchers, when coronavirus enters the body, it adheres to cells expressing the protein ACE2, or angiotensin converting enzyme 2. These cells are typically found in the heart, intestines, and lungs. It is also found in enormous quantities in testicles of men, while only small quantities are found in women’s ovarian tissue. (…)