June 2022
Volume 63, Issue 7
Open Access
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   June 2022
Tissue-specific evidence for SARS-CoV-2 within intraocular tissues
Jung Lee; Yujuan Wang; Shilpa Kodati; Paola Perez; Sydney R Stein; Alison Grazioli; Blake M. Warner; Daniel L. Herr; Joseph Rabin; Kapil K. Saharia; Kevin M. Vannella; Stephen M. Hewitt; David E. Kleiner; Chi-Chao Chan; Daniel S. Chertow; H Nida Sen
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Jung Lee
    National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
  • Yujuan Wang
    National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
  • Shilpa Kodati
    National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
  • Paola Perez
    Salivary Disorders Unit, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
  • Sydney R Stein
    Emerging Pathogens Section, Critical Care Medicine Department, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
    Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
  • Alison Grazioli
    Kidney Diseases Branch, Kidney Disease Section, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
  • Blake M. Warner
    Salivary Disorders Unit, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
  • Daniel L. Herr
    R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Department of Medicine and Program in Trauma, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
  • Joseph Rabin
    R Adams Crowley Shock Trauma Center, Department of Surgery and Program in Trauma, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
  • Kapil K. Saharia
    Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
  • Kevin M. Vannella
    Emerging Pathogens Section, Critical Care Medicine Department, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
    Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
  • Stephen M. Hewitt
    Laboratory of Pathology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
  • David E. Kleiner
    Laboratory of Pathology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
  • Chi-Chao Chan
    National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
  • Daniel S. Chertow
    Emerging Pathogens Section, Critical Care Medicine Department, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
    Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
  • H Nida Sen
    National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships   Jung Lee None; Yujuan Wang None; Shilpa Kodati None; Paola Perez None; Sydney Stein None; Alison Grazioli None; Blake Warner None; Daniel Herr None; Joseph Rabin None; Kapil Saharia None; Kevin Vannella None; Stephen Hewitt None; David Kleiner None; Chi-Chao Chan None; Daniel Chertow None; H Nida Sen None
  • Footnotes
    Support  The Intramural Research Program of the NIH, Clinical Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and National Eye Institute. NIH Medical Research Scholars Program, a public-private partnership supported jointly by the NIH. the Foundation for the NIH from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Genentech, the American Association for Dental Research, and the Colgate-Palmolive Company. NIH Grant R01AI147870
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2022, Vol.63, 1671 – A0501. doi:
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      Jung Lee, Yujuan Wang, Shilpa Kodati, Paola Perez, Sydney R Stein, Alison Grazioli, Blake M. Warner, Daniel L. Herr, Joseph Rabin, Kapil K. Saharia, Kevin M. Vannella, Stephen M. Hewitt, David E. Kleiner, Chi-Chao Chan, Daniel S. Chertow, H Nida Sen; Tissue-specific evidence for SARS-CoV-2 within intraocular tissues. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2022;63(7):1671 – A0501.

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Abstract

Purpose : To systematically investigate ocular changes in autopsied eyes from fatal cases of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to investigate the localization of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) within ocular structures.

Methods : Macroscopic and microscopic histopathological evaluation was performed and the localization of SARS-CoV-2 RNA within ocular tissues investigated using an in situ hybridization (ISH) technique in 13 eyes. Contralateral eyes were freshly dissected, and droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) assay was performed on ocular fluids and tissues to quantify SARS-CoV-2 RNA.

Results : A total of 21 fatal COVID-19 cases were included (mean age, 60.2 years [range, 27-91 years]; 23.8% female). Histopathological abnormalities include vascular changes (61.9%), cytoid bodies (52.4%), and retinal edema (23.8%) with minimal inflammation (0.09%) were observed. Non-CMV viral inclusions were identified in one eye. No CMV positivity was detected. Of the 21 contralateral eyes tested by ddPCR, 14 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Using ddPCR and ISH, SARS-CoV-2 localization was observed in the following ocular tissues and fluid: cornea (27.3%), aqueous (26.3%), lens (54.5%), vitreous (15.0%), retina (22.2%), choroid/sclera (47.4%), and optic nerve (50.0%). The choroid/sclera, optic nerve and lens were the most frequent ocular structures found to be ddPCR positive. Evidence of replication was detected in four cases.

Conclusions : Our results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 localizes to intraocular tissues. However, histological changes observed are likely a secondary hemodynamic change rather than primary effect of the virus.

This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
Copyright © 2025 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
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