Cerebrospinal Fluid Features in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) Positive Patients

Mathilde Bellon; Cecilia Schweblin; Nathalie Lambeng; Pascal Cherpillod; Jessica Vazquez; Patrice H Lalive; Manuel Schibler; Christine Deffert

doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa1165

Cerebrospinal Fluid Features in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) Positive Patients

Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Nov 2;73(9):e3102-e3105. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1165.

Authors

Mathilde Bellon^{1

2

3}, Cecilia Schweblin^{1

2

3}, Nathalie Lambeng⁴, Pascal Cherpillod¹, Jessica Vazquez⁴, Patrice H Lalive^{3

5

6

7}, Manuel Schibler^{1

2}, Christine Deffert^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Virology, Laboratory Medicine Division, Diagnostic Department, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
² Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medical Specialties, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
³ Faculty of Medicine of Geneva, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁴ Laboratory of Biological Fluids, Laboratory Medicine Division, Diagnostic Department, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁵ Laboratory Medicine Division, Department of Medical Specialties, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁶ Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Division of Neurology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁷ Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.

Abstract

This study analyzed the cerebrospinal fluid features of 31 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with neurological complications. We observed neither severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in the cerebrospinal fluid, nor intrathecal immunoglobulin G (IgG) synthesis but did observe signs of blood-brain barrier disruption. These results might serve as a basis for a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 related neuropathogenesis.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; blood-brain barrier; intrathecal synthesis; neurological manifestations.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Humans
Immunoglobulin G
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
Reverse Transcription
SARS-CoV-2*

Substances

Immunoglobulin G