Evidence mapPaperPMID 40733579Full record

ArticleViruses2025

Spatiotemporal Characterization of Changes in the Respiratory Tract and the Nervous System, Including the Eyes in SARS-CoV-2-Infected K18-hACE2 Mice.

Malgorzata Rosiak, Tom Schreiner, Georg Beythien, Eva Leitzen, Anastasiya Ulianytska, Lisa Allnoch, Kathrin Becker, Lukas M Michaely, Sandra Lockow, Sabrina Clever and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Viruses, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Malgorzata RosiakDepartment of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30159 Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5117-3989
Tom SchreinerDepartment of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30159 Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-0978-2067
Georg BeythienDepartment of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30159 Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2192-2413
Eva LeitzenDepartment of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30159 Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-3818-9246
Anastasiya UlianytskaDepartment of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30159 Hannover, Germany.
Lisa AllnochDepartment of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30159 Hannover, Germany.
Kathrin BeckerDepartment of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30159 Hannover, Germany.
Lukas M MichaelyDepartment of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30159 Hannover, Germany.
Sandra LockowDepartment of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30159 Hannover, Germany.
Sabrina CleverInstitute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30159 Hannover, Germany.
Christian Meyer Zu NatrupInstitute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30159 Hannover, Germany.
Asisa VolzCenter for Systems Neuroscience, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation, 30159 Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-8757-3896
Wolfgang BaumgärtnerDepartment of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30159 Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-8151-5644
Malgorzata CiurkiewiczDepartment of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30159 Hannover, Germany.
Kirsten HülskötterDepartment of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30159 Hannover, Germany.
Katharina M GregorDepartment of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30159 Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0009-0005-1270-312X

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG; German Research Foundation) 398066876/GRK 2485/2Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony, Germany 14 - 76103-184 CORONA-15/20National Research Fund (FNR), Luxembourg AFR15686728University of Veterinary Medicine, Foundation, Hannover, Germany not applicable
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is known to affect multiple organ systems, including the respiratory tract and nervous and ocular systems. This retrospective study aimed to characterize the spatiotemporal distribution of viral antigen and associated pathological changes in the nose, lungs, brain, and eyes of K18-hACE2 mice intranasally infected with SARS-CoV-2. Using histology and immunohistochemistry, tissues were examined at 3, 6, and 7/8 days post-infection (dpi). In addition, lung and brain tissues were analyzed by means of RT-qPCR to determine viral RNA titers. Viral antigen was most pronounced in the nose, brain, and lung at 3, 6, and 7/8 dpi, respectively, whereas viral antigen was detected at 6 and 7/8 dpi in the retina. Quantitative PCR confirmed increasing viral RNA levels in both lung and brain, peaking at 7/8 dpi. Nasal and lung inflammation mirrored viral antigen distribution and localization. In the brain, the predominantly basal viral spread correlated with lymphohistiocytic meningoencephalitis, neuronal vacuolation, and altered neurofilament immunoreactivity. Retinal ganglion cells showed viral antigen expression without associated lesions. Microglial activation was evident in both the optic chiasm and the brain. These findings highlight the K18-hACE2 model's utility for studying extrapulmonary SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. Understanding the temporal and spatial dynamics of viral spread enhances insights into SARS-CoV-2 neurotropism and its clinical manifestations.

Indexed as

COVID-19EyeNervous SystemRespiratory SystemAngiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2AnimalsAntigens, ViralBrainDisease Models, AnimalHumansLungMicePandemicsRetrospective StudiesRNA, ViralSARS-CoV-2Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2Antigens, ViralRNA, ViralBavPat1central nervous systemCNSCOVID-19K18-hACE2 miceneuropathologyocular manifestationSARS-CoV-2severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2spatiotemporal distributionupper and lower respiratory tract

Identifiers

PMID40733579
PMCPMC12300873

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.