[Pathomorphological changes in ejaculate revealed by electron transmission microscopy in patients who have had COVID-19].

Abstract

Introduction: Disturbances due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) caused economic, physical and psychological damage to the population of the whole world. The number of people who have suffered SOVID-19 is growing, and there is a number of negative consequences are documented for many organs and systems of the body, including reproductive.

Aim: To study the pathomorphological changes in ejaculate revealed by transmission electron microscopy in patients who have had COVID-19.

Materials and methods: The results of the electronic transmission microscopy of ejaculate 157 men were analyzed. They were divided into four groups. In group 1, there were 49 patients with idiopathic infertility who suffered COVID-19, group II included 42 patients with idiopathic infertility without prior of history of COVID-19, group III consisted of 39 fertile men who have had COVID-19, while in group IV there were 27 fertile men without prior of history of COVID -19.

Results: In most cases, pathological changes detected during morphological examination of patients before and after inclusion in the study were detected in the head of the sperm, which were resulted in a small specific gravity, but 12 months after infection with SARS-CoV-2, the percentage of acrosome changes increased in groups I and III. Moreover, combined pathological changes in the acrosome were recorded.

Conclusions: Thus, transmission electron microscopy revealed morphometric sperm disorders that were associated with energy processes in the cell, which naturally should be taken into account when rehabilitation of reproductive men who have had SARS-COV-2. In addition, in patients of SARS-COV-2, a severe cell pathology was noted, due to the residualization of the cytoplasm and the pathology of mitochondria.