Ocular tropism of SARS-CoV-2 in animal models with retinal inflammation via neuronal invasion following intranasal inoculation.
Gi Uk JeongHyung-Jun KwonWern Hann NgXiang LiuHyun-Woo MoonGun Young YoonHye Jin ShinIn-Chul LeeZheng Lung LingAlanna G SpiteriNicholas Jonathan Cole KingAdam TaylorJi Soo ChaeChonsaeng KimDae-Gyun AhnKyun-Do KimYoung Bae RyuSeong-Jun KimSuresh MahalingamYoung-Chan KwonPublished in: Nature communications (2022)
Although ocular manifestations are reported in patients with COVID-19, consensus on ocular tropism of SARS-CoV-2 is lacking. Here, we infect K18-hACE2 transgenic mice with SARS-CoV-2 using various routes. We observe ocular manifestation and retinal inflammation with production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the eyes of intranasally (IN)-infected mice. Intratracheal (IT) infection results in dissemination of the virus from the lungs to the brain and eyes via trigeminal and optic nerves. Ocular and neuronal invasions are confirmed using intracerebral (IC) infection. Notably, the eye-dropped (ED) virus does not cause lung infection and becomes undetectable with time. Ocular and neurotropic distribution of the virus in vivo is evident in fluorescence imaging with an infectious clone of SARS-CoV-2-mCherry. The ocular tropic and neuroinvasive characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 are confirmed in wild-type Syrian hamsters. Our data can improve the understanding regarding viral transmission and clinical characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 and help in improving COVID-19 control procedures.
Keyphrases
- sars cov
- optic nerve
- optical coherence tomography
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- fluorescence imaging
- oxidative stress
- wild type
- emergency department
- diabetic retinopathy
- coronavirus disease
- photodynamic therapy
- skeletal muscle
- cerebral ischemia
- spinal cord
- blood brain barrier
- spinal cord injury
- neuropathic pain
- big data