Postmortem Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in Mouse Lung Tissue.

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Infectious Diseases
• Post-mortem Studies

Background:

• The persistence and infectivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in deceased individuals are not well understood.
• Understanding viral kinetics after host death is crucial for infection control and public health safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity and viral RNA levels in a post-mortem animal model.
• To determine the rate of decline in infectious virus particles in tissues after host death.

Main Methods:

• Utilized transgenic K18 hACE2 mice, which are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
• Inoculated mice with SARS-CoV-2 and monitored viral infectivity and RNA levels at specific time points after host death.

Main Results:

• A significant decline in infectious SARS-CoV-2 was observed in the lungs of deceased mice.
• Virus infectivity in the lung decreased by more than 96% five days after host death.
• Viral RNA copies in the lung showed a 48.2% reduction over the same period.

Conclusions:

• SARS-CoV-2 loses infectivity rapidly after host death.
• The findings suggest a limited window for potential transmission from deceased SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals.
• Further research is needed to confirm these kinetics in human subjects.