Brain Inflammation and Intracellular α-Synuclein Aggregates in Macaques after SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Viruses. 2022 Apr 8;14(4):776. doi: 10.3390/v14040776.

Abstract

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. Postmortem 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-synuclein 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.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; macaques; neuroinflammation; positron emission tomography-computed tomography; α-synuclein.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • COVID-19*
  • Encephalitis* / metabolism
  • Encephalitis* / virology
  • Macaca mulatta / virology
  • Protein Aggregates
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • alpha-Synuclein* / metabolism

Substances

  • Protein Aggregates
  • alpha-Synuclein