A new publication sheds light on the whole-body distribution and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 viral antigens

A research team from the national research infrastructure IDMIT*, in collaboration with the Frédéric Joliot Institute for life science of the CEA, has developed a PET imaging strategy to visualize and quantify the whole-body distribution of SARS-CoV-2 in a primate animal model. It has characterized the distribution of the virus in the acute phase of infection in the brain, kidneys, lungs and respiratory tract, and 3 months after infection, its persistence in the lungs and brain.

The imaging strategy is based on the use of a monoclonal antibody specific to SARS-CoV-2, labeled with a radioactive tracer. Using positron emission tomography (PET) coupled with computed tomography (CT), the researchers were able to track the path of the virus and visualize its presence in different organs in real time.

Implemented on a primate animal model, this method revealed during the acute phase of infection the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the lungs, brain, respiratory tract and kidneys as well as various other organs, confirming that the virus disseminates well beyond the lungs. Three months after infection, viral antigens were detected in the lungs and brain of convalescent animals. These results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 may persist in the body for longer than previously thought, which would explain some of the persistent symptoms observed in long-standing COVID patients.

The body-identity tracking imaging method used offers a new way of exploring the long-term spread and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 without the need for invasive sampling. This new approach to examining the virus represents a promising approach to better understanding the long-term consequences. The FLI network of expertise Molecular Imaging Agents, as well as the ANR*, provided financial support for this study.

Find the full results of this study in Nature communications.

*Infectious Diseases Models for Innovative Therapies

*Agence Nationale pour la Recherche