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Persistent post-COVID-19 smell loss is associated with immune cell infiltration and altered gene expression in olfactory epithelium.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Finlay, JB; Brann, DH; Abi Hachem, R; Jang, DW; Oliva, AD; Ko, T; Gupta, R; Wellford, SA; Moseman, EA; Jang, SS; Yan, CH; Matsunami, H ...
Published in: Sci Transl Med
December 21, 2022

SARS-CoV-2 causes profound changes in the sense of smell, including total smell loss. Although these alterations are often transient, many patients with COVID-19 exhibit olfactory dysfunction that lasts months to years. Although animal and human autopsy studies have suggested mechanisms driving acute anosmia, it remains unclear how SARS-CoV-2 causes persistent smell loss in a subset of patients. To address this question, we analyzed olfactory epithelial samples collected from 24 biopsies, including from nine patients with objectively quantified long-term smell loss after COVID-19. This biopsy-based approach revealed a diffuse infiltrate of T cells expressing interferon-γ and a shift in myeloid cell population composition, including enrichment of CD207+ dendritic cells and depletion of anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages. Despite the absence of detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA or protein, gene expression in the barrier supporting cells of the olfactory epithelium, termed sustentacular cells, appeared to reflect a response to ongoing inflammatory signaling, which was accompanied by a reduction in the number of olfactory sensory neurons relative to olfactory epithelial sustentacular cells. These findings indicate that T cell-mediated inflammation persists in the olfactory epithelium long after SARS-CoV-2 has been eliminated from the tissue, suggesting a mechanism for long-term post-COVID-19 smell loss.

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Published In

Sci Transl Med

DOI

EISSN

1946-6242

Publication Date

December 21, 2022

Volume

14

Issue

676

Start / End Page

eadd0484

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • SARS-CoV-2
  • RNA, Viral
  • Olfactory Mucosa
  • Olfaction Disorders
  • Humans
  • Gene Expression
  • COVID-19
  • Anosmia
  • Animals
  • 4003 Biomedical engineering
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Finlay, J. B., Brann, D. H., Abi Hachem, R., Jang, D. W., Oliva, A. D., Ko, T., … Goldstein, B. J. (2022). Persistent post-COVID-19 smell loss is associated with immune cell infiltration and altered gene expression in olfactory epithelium. Sci Transl Med, 14(676), eadd0484. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.add0484
Finlay, John B., David H. Brann, Ralph Abi Hachem, David W. Jang, Allison D. Oliva, Tiffany Ko, Rupali Gupta, et al. “Persistent post-COVID-19 smell loss is associated with immune cell infiltration and altered gene expression in olfactory epithelium.Sci Transl Med 14, no. 676 (December 21, 2022): eadd0484. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.add0484.
Finlay JB, Brann DH, Abi Hachem R, Jang DW, Oliva AD, Ko T, et al. Persistent post-COVID-19 smell loss is associated with immune cell infiltration and altered gene expression in olfactory epithelium. Sci Transl Med. 2022 Dec 21;14(676):eadd0484.
Finlay, John B., et al. “Persistent post-COVID-19 smell loss is associated with immune cell infiltration and altered gene expression in olfactory epithelium.Sci Transl Med, vol. 14, no. 676, Dec. 2022, p. eadd0484. Pubmed, doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.add0484.
Finlay JB, Brann DH, Abi Hachem R, Jang DW, Oliva AD, Ko T, Gupta R, Wellford SA, Moseman EA, Jang SS, Yan CH, Matsunami H, Tsukahara T, Datta SR, Goldstein BJ. Persistent post-COVID-19 smell loss is associated with immune cell infiltration and altered gene expression in olfactory epithelium. Sci Transl Med. 2022 Dec 21;14(676):eadd0484.

Published In

Sci Transl Med

DOI

EISSN

1946-6242

Publication Date

December 21, 2022

Volume

14

Issue

676

Start / End Page

eadd0484

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • SARS-CoV-2
  • RNA, Viral
  • Olfactory Mucosa
  • Olfaction Disorders
  • Humans
  • Gene Expression
  • COVID-19
  • Anosmia
  • Animals
  • 4003 Biomedical engineering