Absence of detectable SARS-CoV-2 replication in ex vivo cultured cornea and cornea-derived epithelial cells.
Tarek BayyoudGeorgios Vavouras SyrigosNatalia Ruetalo BuschingerJohanna WudeRamona BusingerDan HuAngelika IftnerSebastian ThalerMichael SchindlerPublished in: Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie (2022)
Our data suggest that cornea and limbal epithelial cells are refractory to productive SARS-CoV-2 infection. This could be due to the absence of robust receptor expression levels necessary for viral entry. This study adds further evidence to support the very low possibility of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from an infected corneal transplant donor to a recipient in corneal organ cultures.