tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Elife
. 2021 Mar 30;10:e60361.
doi: 10.7554/eLife.60361.
Early postmortem mapping of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in patients with COVID-19 and the correlation with tissue damage
Stefanie Deinhardt-Emmer[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 [/SUP], Daniel Wittschieber[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 2 [/SUP], Juliane Sanft[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Sandra Kleemann[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Stefan Elschner[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Karoline Frieda Haupt[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Vanessa Vau[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Clio H?ring[SUP] 3 [/SUP], J?rgen R?del[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Andreas Henke[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Christina Ehrhardt[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Michael Bauer[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Mike Philipp[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Nikolaus Ga?ler[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Sandor Nietzsche[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Bettina L?ffler[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gita Mall[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Clinical observations indicate that COVID-19 is a systemic disease. An investigation of the viral distribution within the human body and its correlation with tissue damage can aid in understanding the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We present a detailed mapping of the viral RNA in 61 tissues and organs of 11 deceased patients with COVID-19. The autopsies were performed within the early postmortem interval (between 1.5 and 15 hr, mean: 5.6 hr) to minimize the bias due to viral RNA and tissue degradation. Very high viral loads (>10[SUP]4[/SUP]copies/ml) were detected in most patients' lungs, and the presence of intact viral particles in the lung tissue could be verified by transmission electron microscopy. Interestingly, viral RNA was detected throughout various extrapulmonary tissues and organs without visible tissue damage. The dissemination of SARS-CoV-2-RNA throughout the body supports the hypothesis that there is a maladaptive host response with viremia and multiorgan dysfunction.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; autopsy; early post-mortem interval; histology; immunology; infectious disease; inflammation; microbiology; transmission electron microscopy; virus.
. 2021 Mar 30;10:e60361.
doi: 10.7554/eLife.60361.
Early postmortem mapping of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in patients with COVID-19 and the correlation with tissue damage
Stefanie Deinhardt-Emmer[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 [/SUP], Daniel Wittschieber[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 2 [/SUP], Juliane Sanft[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Sandra Kleemann[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Stefan Elschner[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Karoline Frieda Haupt[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Vanessa Vau[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Clio H?ring[SUP] 3 [/SUP], J?rgen R?del[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Andreas Henke[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Christina Ehrhardt[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Michael Bauer[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Mike Philipp[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Nikolaus Ga?ler[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Sandor Nietzsche[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Bettina L?ffler[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gita Mall[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33781385
- DOI: 10.7554/eLife.60361
Abstract
Clinical observations indicate that COVID-19 is a systemic disease. An investigation of the viral distribution within the human body and its correlation with tissue damage can aid in understanding the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We present a detailed mapping of the viral RNA in 61 tissues and organs of 11 deceased patients with COVID-19. The autopsies were performed within the early postmortem interval (between 1.5 and 15 hr, mean: 5.6 hr) to minimize the bias due to viral RNA and tissue degradation. Very high viral loads (>10[SUP]4[/SUP]copies/ml) were detected in most patients' lungs, and the presence of intact viral particles in the lung tissue could be verified by transmission electron microscopy. Interestingly, viral RNA was detected throughout various extrapulmonary tissues and organs without visible tissue damage. The dissemination of SARS-CoV-2-RNA throughout the body supports the hypothesis that there is a maladaptive host response with viremia and multiorgan dysfunction.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; autopsy; early post-mortem interval; histology; immunology; infectious disease; inflammation; microbiology; transmission electron microscopy; virus.