TY - JOUR
T1 - Brain Inflammation and Intracellular α-Synuclein Aggregates in Macaques after SARS-CoV-2 Infection
AU - Philippens, Ingrid H. C. H. M.
AU - Böszörményi, Kinga P.
AU - Wubben, Jacqueline A. M.
AU - Fagrouch, Zahra C.
AU - van Driel, Nikki
AU - Mayenburg, Amber Q.
AU - Lozovagia, Diana
AU - Roos, Eva
AU - Schurink, Bernadette
AU - Bugiani, Marianna
AU - Bontrop, Ronald E.
AU - Middeldorp, Jinte
AU - Bogers, Willy M.
AU - de Geus-Oei, Lioe-Fee
AU - Langermans, Jan A. M.
AU - Verschoor, Ernst J.
AU - Stammes, Marieke A.
AU - Verstrepen, Babs E.
N1 - Funding Information: Funding: This study was supported by funding from the Biomedical Primate Research Centre. K.P.B. was supported by the European Union’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network HONOURs, grant agreement no. 721367. This publication was also supported by the European Virus Archive GLOBAL (EVA-GLOBAL) project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, under grant agreement no. 871029. Funding Information: This study was supported by funding from the Biomedical Primate Research Centre. K.P.B. was supported by the European Union?s Marie Sk?odowska-Curie Innovative Training Net-work HONOURs, grant agreement no. 721367. This publication was also supported by the European Virus Archive GLOBAL (EVA-GLOBAL) project, which has received funding from the European Union?s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, under grant agreement no. 871029. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2022/4/1
Y1 - 2022/4/1
N2 - SARS-CoV-2 causes acute respiratory disease, but many patients also experience neurological complications. Neuropathological changes with pronounced neuroinflammation have been described in individuals after lethal COVID-19, as well as in the CSF of hospitalized patients with neurological complications. To assess whether neuropathological changes can occur after a SARS-CoV-2 infection, leading to mild-to-moderate disease, we investigated the brains of four rhesus and four cynomolgus macaques after pulmonary disease and without overt clinical symptoms. Post-mortem analysis demonstrated the infiltration of T-cells and activated microglia in the parenchyma of all infected animals, even in the absence of viral antigen or RNA. Moreover, intracellular α-synu-clein aggregates were found in the brains of both macaque species. The heterogeneity of these manifestations in the brains indicates the virus’ neuropathological potential and should be considered a warning for long-term health risks, following SARS-CoV-2 infection.
AB - SARS-CoV-2 causes acute respiratory disease, but many patients also experience neurological complications. Neuropathological changes with pronounced neuroinflammation have been described in individuals after lethal COVID-19, as well as in the CSF of hospitalized patients with neurological complications. To assess whether neuropathological changes can occur after a SARS-CoV-2 infection, leading to mild-to-moderate disease, we investigated the brains of four rhesus and four cynomolgus macaques after pulmonary disease and without overt clinical symptoms. Post-mortem analysis demonstrated the infiltration of T-cells and activated microglia in the parenchyma of all infected animals, even in the absence of viral antigen or RNA. Moreover, intracellular α-synu-clein aggregates were found in the brains of both macaque species. The heterogeneity of these manifestations in the brains indicates the virus’ neuropathological potential and should be considered a warning for long-term health risks, following SARS-CoV-2 infection.
KW - COVID-19
KW - SARS-CoV-2
KW - macaques
KW - neuroinflammation
KW - positron emission tomography-computed tomography
KW - α-synuclein
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85128486495&origin=inward
UR - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35458506
U2 - https://doi.org/10.3390/v14040776
DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/v14040776
M3 - Article
C2 - 35458506
SN - 1999-4915
VL - 14
JO - Viruses
JF - Viruses
IS - 4
M1 - 776
ER -