A new study conducted by Tulane National Primate Research Center has collected data pointing towards evidence that the coronavirus has a negative impact on four different areas of the male genital tract.
The 500-acre primate center where the study was conducted is located in Covington, Louisiana and houses upwards of 4,800 primates. Results concluded that three male rhesus macaques tested showed evidence of coronavirus in their "penis, prostate, testicles and a network of temperature-regulating veins," according to coverage by The Times-Picayune.
"Three out of three is pretty phenomenal," said Ronald Veazey, a professor of pathology at the Tulane University School of Medicine and an author of the study.
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Veazey stated that he and his researchers began the study a year and a half ago, and went into it thinking they'd discover the virus in the gut of the primates, but things shook out a little further south.
"Surprisingly, the male reproductive tract lit up like a Christmas tree," said Veazey. "We weren't even thinking male – it just happened to be a male macaque."
The study has not yet been peer reviewed, but the data collected sheds new light on the, still, surprisingly mysterious effects of coronavirus on the body. It's not yet known if the effects found to take place in male genitals is long-term, or if they go hand in hand with other symptoms such as pain, erectile dysfunction or low sperm count.
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What the study does seem to clearly show is that the male genitalia are a prime hunting ground for the virus, which is troubling.
"What tissue in the body would be the most responsive and have the most expansion and contraction? The penis," said Veazey. "It's a major target. He furthered that "It certainly is another excuse to get vaccinated," said Veazey. "Any strong virile males who think the vaccines going to hurt them probably should reconsider."
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