Study Finds COVID-19 Infection in Male Mice May Affect Offspring Behaviour

The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in 2020, has been widely studied for its short- and long-term health impacts. Researchers at the Florey Institute recently explored how SARS-CoV-2 infection in fathers might affect future generations.

In the experiment, recovered male mice previously infected with the virus were mated with uninfected females. The resulting offspring displayed increased anxiety-like behaviours and alterations in the hippocampus – a part of the brain that regulates emotion and memory.

Lead author Elizabeth Kleeman explained that the infection appears to modify small RNA molecules in the sperm, which may transmit subtle changes that influence offspring brain function.

However, the researchers stressed that these findings are limited to animal models and cannot be directly extrapolated to humans. Further research is needed to determine if similar mechanisms occur in people.

Source: The Hindu, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health