Coronavirus bloodlust : heme complicity during viral infection

AYELEN TORO; AGUSTINA SABATER; GASTON PASCUAL; ANA PAULA AREVALO; MARIANOEL PEREIRA; INES ACHINELLI; ROCIO SENIUK; JORGE PORFIDO; ERIC ZIZZI; ALVARO OLIVERA; ARTEM CHERKASOV; FRANCESCO GENTILE; GONZALO MORATORIO; MARTINA CRISPO; GERALDINE GUERON

Congreso; LXVIII Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica; 2023

SARS-CoV-2 infection causes a multisystemic disease and various hematological abnormalities, yet the mechanism of viral dissemination remains elusive. Here, we present findings from our comparative study using a preclinical model of coronavirus infection and real-world data from COVID-19 patients. BALB/cJ mice were infected with murine hepatitis virus (MHV-A59, 6000 PFU, i.p.), an RNA coronavirus similar to SARS-CoV-2. Five days post-infection, mice were euthanized and multi-organ dissection was performed for histological and molecular analyses. Peripheral blood samples were collected to determine biochemical and hematological parameters. We demonstrate the presence of viral RNA and infectious particles in multiple tissues, including the blood, in infected mice. Surprisingly, when comparing plasma and RBCs, higher viral load levels were detected in RBCs (p