(Yicai Global) May 8 -- The Covid-19 virus has been detected in male patients' semen, suggesting that the virus may be sexually transmitted, according to a group of Chinese researchers.

Six patients out of a study group of 38 men aged 15 years or older, or 15.8 percent, were found to have SARS-CoV-2 in their semen, according to a study posted on open access US medical magazine JAMA Network Open yesterday. Four of these cases were acutely ill and two were recovering.

The research, which was conducted at the Shangqiu Municipal Hospital in central Henan province between Jan. 26 and Feb. 16, was limited by the small number of participants and the short follow-up period, the article said. Further studies are required to find out more about viral shedding, survival time and concentration in semen.

The primary transmission routes of the novel coronavirus are generally considered to be through respiratory droplets and contact routes. Should it be proven that SARS-CoV-2 is also sexually transmitted, this will have important ramifications for the prevention of its spread, the article said.

The Covid-19 virus has been detected before in patients’ stool, gastrointestinal tracts, saliva and urine. The presence of the virus does not necessarily mean it can replicate itself and become contagious, it added.

Editor: Kim Taylor