World J Mens Health.  2022 Apr;40(2):340-343. 10.5534/wjmh.210174.

SARS-CoV-2 in the Prostate: Immunohistochemical and Ultrastructural Studies

• Reddy R
• Farber N
• Kresch E
• Seetharam D
• Diaz P
• Ramasamy R

• KMID: 2527332
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5534/wjmh.210174

Abstract

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was discovered in 2019 and has proven to be a significant public health challenge. While viruses from the coronavirus family have been established as causes of respiratory tract infections, SARS-CoV-2 has also been found in the heart, kidney, testes, and penis. This paper investigates whether SARS-CoV-2 can linger in the prostate by examining the histopathological, ultrastructural, and immunofluorescent elements of prostatic tissue from a patient who was infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus prior to having a holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) procedure. The findings of this case report suggest that COVID-19 has both the ability to enter prostatic tissue during an acute infection and persist over a timeframe beyond the initial infection period as RNA-containing viral bodies. This case report lays the foundation for future investigations to examine any histopathological changes to the prostatic tissue that may be associated with SARS-CoV-2 viral infection.

Keyword

COVID-19; Microscopy; electron; Prostate; Prostatic hyperplasia; SARS-CoV-2