Detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection in thyroid follicular cells from a COVID-19 autopsy series.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To understand whether thyroid cells can be directly infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and to establish a putative correlation with the expression of the host entry machinery: ACE-2, TMPRSS2, and furin.

Methods

We assessed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus at the gene level by RT-PCR, viral RNA transcripts localization by in situ hybridization, and by detecting viral proteins by immunohistochemistry for the nucleocapsid and the spike proteins. Furthermore, we also described the immunoexpression of key host factors for virus entry in the COVID-19 thyroid samples.

Results

We performed RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 in all autopsy specimens and detected viral genome positivity in 13 of 15 thyroid tissues and in a lung specimen. In 9 of the 14 positive samples, we were also

SUBMITTER: Macedo S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9346336 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature