Neuropathology and virus in brain of SARS-CoV-2 infected non-human primates

Ibolya Rutkai, Meredith G. Mayer, Linh M. Hellmers, Bo Ning, Zhen Huang, Christopher J. Monjure, Carol Coyne, Rachel Silvestri, Nadia Golden, Krystle Hensley, Kristin Chandler, Gabrielle Lehmicke, Gregory J. Bix, Nicholas J. Maness, Kasi Russell-Lodrigue, Tony Y. Hu, Chad J. Roy, Robert V. Blair, Rudolf Bohm, Lara A. Doyle-Meyers, Jay Rappaport and Tracy Fischer ()
Additional contact information
Ibolya Rutkai: Tulane University School of Medicine
Meredith G. Mayer: Tulane National Primate Research Center
Linh M. Hellmers: Tulane National Primate Research Center
Bo Ning: Tulane University School of Medicine
Zhen Huang: Tulane University School of Medicine
Christopher J. Monjure: Tulane National Primate Research Center
Carol Coyne: Tulane National Primate Research Center
Rachel Silvestri: Tulane National Primate Research Center
Nadia Golden: Tulane National Primate Research Center
Krystle Hensley: Tulane National Primate Research Center
Kristin Chandler: Tulane National Primate Research Center
Gabrielle Lehmicke: Tulane National Primate Research Center
Gregory J. Bix: Tulane University School of Medicine
Nicholas J. Maness: Tulane National Primate Research Center
Kasi Russell-Lodrigue: Tulane National Primate Research Center
Tony Y. Hu: Tulane University School of Medicine
Chad J. Roy: Tulane National Primate Research Center
Robert V. Blair: Tulane National Primate Research Center
Rudolf Bohm: Tulane National Primate Research Center
Lara A. Doyle-Meyers: Tulane National Primate Research Center
Jay Rappaport: Tulane National Primate Research Center
Tracy Fischer: Tulane National Primate Research Center

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Neurological manifestations are a significant complication of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but underlying mechanisms aren’t well understood. The development of animal models that recapitulate the neuropathological findings of autopsied brain tissue from patients who died from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection are critical for elucidating the neuropathogenesis of infection and disease. Here, we show neuroinflammation, microhemorrhages, brain hypoxia, and neuropathology that is consistent with hypoxic-ischemic injury in SARS-CoV-2 infected non-human primates (NHPs), including evidence of neuron degeneration and apoptosis. Importantly, this is seen among infected animals that do not develop severe respiratory disease, which may provide insight into neurological symptoms associated with “long COVID”. Sparse virus is detected in brain endothelial cells but does not associate with the severity of central nervous system (CNS) injury. We anticipate our findings will advance our current understanding of the neuropathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and demonstrate SARS-CoV-2 infected NHPs are a highly relevant animal model for investigating COVID-19 neuropathogenesis among human subjects.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29440-z

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