Histopathological findings in the advanced natural evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 infection

Rom J Morphol Embryol. 2020;61(1):209-218. doi: 10.47162/RJME.61.1.23.

Abstract

We are reporting a case of natural evolution and pathological data from a young person that was diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). All data has been collected from the autopsy of a 30-year-old female, which was performed by the Department of Forensic Medicine from Emergency County Hospital, Drobeta Turnu Severin, Mehedinţi County, Romania. The infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on the lung tissue which was obtained during autopsy. This case provides the opportunity to study the natural evolution of COVID-19 pneumonia in a young person with clinical signs of pneumonia but without associated comorbidities. The patient had not received any treatment. The histopathological examination of the lung revealed a process of productive proliferation, proteinaceous and fibrin-macrophagic interalveolar spaces exudate, and lesions consistent with vasculitis. In the heart, we identified a cardiac thrombus. These changes are likely to suggest an advanced natural evolution of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Autopsy
  • Betacoronavirus
  • COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Testing
  • Clinical Laboratory Techniques
  • Coronavirus Infections / diagnosis
  • Coronavirus Infections / physiopathology*
  • Coronavirus Infections / virology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Kidney / pathology
  • Liver / pathology
  • Lung / pathology
  • Lung / virology*
  • Myocardium / pathology
  • Pancreas / pathology
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Viral / physiopathology*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / virology*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Romania
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Thrombosis / pathology
  • Thrombosis / virology