An autopsy of a patient in Japan with coronavirus disease indicated pneumonia lung pathology, manifested as diffuse alveolar damage. We detected severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 antigen in alveolar epithelial cells and macrophages. Coronavirus disease is essentially a lower respiratory tract disease characterized by direct viral injury of alveolar epithelial cells.
Keywords: COVID-19; Japan; SARS-CoV-2; autopsy; coronavirus disease; cruise; diffuse alveolar damage; electron microscopy; immunohistochemistry; next-generation sequencing; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; viruses; zoonoses.