{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T19:01:04Z","timestamp":1790622064063,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,19]],"date-time":"2025-08-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1755561600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":18,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["American J Rep Immunol"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>SARS\u2010CoV\u20102 infection affects various sperm quality parameters. This study examines the impact of COVID\u201019 infection on sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>A systematic literature search was performed across four databases for studies published between January 1, 2019, and January 1, 2025. The inclusion criteria focused on studies evaluating sperm DNA fragmentation in healthy men infected with the virus. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle\u2013Ottawa scale (NOS). A meta\u2010analysis was conducted using a random effects model based on the tests employed in the studies to measure SDF. Data were reported as weighted mean differences (WMD) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). Out of 105 identified citations, seven articles were included in this analysis. The NOS results indicated that all studies were of high quality. Subgroup analysis revealed that all testing methods, including TUNEL, flow cytometry, and the sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) test, demonstrated high heterogeneity, with the lowest heterogeneity found in the TUNEL test.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>The pooled analysis indicated a statistically significant increase in SDF (random effects model, WMD = 12.558, 95% CI: 4.482 to 20.635, <jats:italic>I<\/jats:italic><jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup> = 99%, Z = 3.05, <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic> &lt; 0.0001). This meta\u2010analysis suggests a statistically significant reduction in sperm DNA integrity 2\u20133 months following COVID\u201019 infection.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>However, caution is warranted when interpreting these results due to the high heterogeneity, which may affect the outcomes. A thorough analysis considering participant characteristics and infection status is recommended.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/aji.70143","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,19]],"date-time":"2025-08-19T15:05:16Z","timestamp":1755615916000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Association Between SARS\u2010COV\u20102 Infection and Sperm DNA Fragmentation: A Systematic Review and Meta\u2010Analysis"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"94","author":[{"given":"Zahra","family":"Asadi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Students Research Committee Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences  Kermanshah Iran"},{"name":"Department of Clinical Biochemistry Medical School Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences  Kermanshah 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Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Faranak","family":"Aghaz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nano Drug Delivery Research Center Health Technology Institute Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences  Kermanshah Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_9_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijantimicag.2020.106054"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_3_1","unstructured":"WHO COVID\u201019 Cases World(WHO 2024) 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