Early postmortem mapping of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in patients with COVID-19 and the correlation with tissue damage

eLife

Mike Philipp¹  Michael Bauer²  Sandor Nietzsche³  Stefan Elschner⁴  Sandra Kleemann⁴  Gita Mall⁴  Juliane Sanft⁴  Daniel Wittschieber⁴  Stefanie Deinhardt-Emmer⁵  Bettina Löffler⁵  Karoline Frieda Haupt⁵  Jürgen Rödel⁵  Vanessa Vau⁵  Andreas Henke⁶  Christina Ehrhardt⁶  Clio Häring⁶  Nikolaus Gaßler⁷ 

[1] Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Greiz General Hospital, Greiz, Germany;Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany;Department of Electron Microscopy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany;Institute of Forensic Medicine, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany;Institute of Medical Microbiology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany;Section of Experimental Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany;Section of Surgical Pathology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany;

关键词: SARS-CoV-2;    COVID-19;    early post-mortem interval;    autopsy;    transmission electron microscopy;    histology;   

DOI  :  10.7554/eLife.60361

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

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 (>104copies/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.

【 授权许可】

Unknown