Journal
JOURNAL OF ORAL MICROBIOLOGY
Volume 13, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/20002297.2020.1848135
Keywords
COVID-19; autopsy; infection control; oral manifestation; RT-PCR
Categories
Funding
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo [2013/17159-2]
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico [401825/2020-5]
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This study conducted minimally invasive post-mortem biopsy on 7 fatal cases of COVID-19 to investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in periodontal tissue. Results showed that 5 out of 7 cases had positive SARS-CoV-2 in periodontal tissue, with morphologic alterations observed in the keratinocytes. This is the first study to demonstrate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in periodontal tissue in COVID-19 positive patients through biomolecular analysis.
Background: The ability of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 to spread is one of the determinants of the COVID-19 pandemic status. Until June 2020, global COVID-19 cases surpassed 10 million. Asymptomatic patients, with no respiratory impairment, are believed to be responsible for more than 80% of the transmission. Other viruses have been consistently detected in periodontal tissues. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in periodontal tissue. Methods: We conducted video-endoscope minimally invasive post-mortem biopsy in seven fatal cases of COVID-19, using a regular endoscope video system associated with a smartphone to locate periodontal tissue. We analyzed the samples using RT-PCR, to identify the SARS-CoV-2 RNA and histopathological analysis. Results: The seven studied autopsies with positive laboratory tests for COVID-19 included 57.14% of female patients at the average age of 47.4 (range 8 to 74). In five cases, periodontal tissue was positive for SARS-CoV-2 (RT-PCR). Histopathologic analyses showed morphologic alterations in the keratinocytes of the junctional epithelium, a vacuolization of the cytoplasm and nucleus and nuclear pleomorphism. Conclusion: We presented a biomolecular analysis obtained from minimally invasive autopsies. This is the first study to demonstrate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in periodontal tissue in COVID-19 positive patients.
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