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Eur J Immunol
. 2022 May 7.
doi: 10.1002/eji.202249805. Online ahead of print.
Differential susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 in the normal nasal mucosa and in chronic sinusitis
Zhili Zhang 1 2 3 4 , Haoran Peng 5 , Ju Lai 1 2 , Liangliang Jiang 5 , Liefu Wang 6 , Shengkai Jin 2 3 4 7 , Kai Fan 1 , Zimu Zhang 1 , Chuanliang Zhao 1 , Dan Deng 7 , Ping Zhao 5 , Zhengliang Gao 2 3 4 6 , Shaoqing Yu 1
Affiliations
- PMID: 35524548
- DOI: 10.1002/eji.202249805
Abstract
Human nasal mucosa is susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and serves as a reservoir for viral replication before spreading to other organs (e.g., the lung and brain) and transmission to other individuals. Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common respiratory tract disease and there is evidence suggesting that susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection differs between the two known subtypes, eosinophilic CRS (ECRS) and non-eosinophilic CRS (NECRS). However, the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the human nasal mucosa and its association with CRS has not been experimentally validated. In this study, we investigated whether the human nasal mucosa is susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and how different endotypes of CRS impact on viral infection and progression. Primary human nasal mucosa tissue culture revealed highly efficient SARS-CoV-2 viral infection and production, with particularly high susceptibility in the NECRS group. The gene expression differences suggested that human nasal mucosa is highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection presumably due to an increase in ACE2-expressing cells and a deficiency in anti-viral immune response especially for NECRS. Importantly, patients with NECRS may be at a particularly high-risk of viral infection and transmission, and therefore close monitoring should be considered. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Chronic rhinosinusitis ⋅ Human nasal mucosa ⋅ SARS-CoV-2 ⋅ ACE2 ⋅ Eosinophils.