Early postmortem mapping of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in patients with COVID-19 and the correlation with tissue damage.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33781385.
- Also identified by DOI 10.7554/eLife.60361 and PMC identifier 8009677.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
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.
Medical subject headings
- Autopsy
- COVID-19
- SARS-CoV-2