Published in

MDPI, Viruses, 4(14), p. 776, 2022

DOI: 10.3390/v14040776

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

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

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.