%0 Journal Article
%A Matschke, Jakob
%A Lütgehetmann, Marc
%A Hagel, Christian
%A Sperhake, Jan P
%A Schröder, Ann Sophie
%A Edler, Carolin
%A Mushumba, Herbert
%A Fitzek, Antonia
%A Allweiss, Lena
%A Dandri, Maura
%A Dottermusch, Matthias
%A Heinemann, Axel
%A Pfefferle, Susanne
%A Schwabenland, Marius
%A Sumner Magruder, Daniel
%A Bonn, Stefan
%A Prinz, Marco
%A Gerloff, Christian
%A Püschel, Klaus
%A Krasemann, Susanne
%A Aepfelbacher, Martin
%A Glatzel, Markus
%T Neuropathology of patients with COVID-19 in Germany: a post-mortem case series
%J The lancet  / Neurology
%V 19
%N 11
%@ 1474-4422
%C London
%I Lancet Publ. Group
%M DZNE-2021-00059
%P 919 - 929
%D 2020
%X Background: Prominent clinical symptoms of COVID-19 include CNS manifestations. However, it is unclear whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, gains access to the CNS and whether it causes neuropathological changes. We investigated the brain tissue of patients who died from COVID-19 for glial responses, inflammatory changes, and the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the CNS.Methods: In this post-mortem case series, we investigated the neuropathological features in the brains of patients who died between March 13 and April 24, 2020, in Hamburg, Germany. Inclusion criteria comprised a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and availability of adequate samples. We did a neuropathological workup including histological staining and immunohistochemical staining for activated astrocytes, activated microglia, and cytotoxic T lymphocytes in the olfactory bulb, basal ganglia, brainstem, and cerebellum. Additionally, we investigated the presence and localisation of SARS-CoV-2 by qRT-PCR and by immunohistochemistry in selected patients and brain regions.Findings: 43 patients were included in our study. Patients died in hospitals, nursing homes, or at home, and were aged between 51 years and 94 years (median 76 years [IQR 70-86]). We detected fresh territorial ischaemic lesions in six (14
%K Aged
%K Aged, 80 and over
%K Autopsy: methods
%K Betacoronavirus: isolation & purification
%K Brain: pathology
%K Brain: virology
%K COVID-19
%K Coronavirus Infections: epidemiology
%K Coronavirus Infections: genetics
%K Coronavirus Infections: pathology
%K Female
%K Germany: epidemiology
%K Humans
%K Male
%K Middle Aged
%K Neuropathology
%K Pandemics
%K Pneumonia, Viral: epidemiology
%K Pneumonia, Viral: genetics
%K Pneumonia, Viral: pathology
%K SARS-CoV-2
%K Transcriptome: genetics
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%2 pmc:PMC7535629
%$ pmid:33031735
%R 10.1016/S1474-4422(20)30308-2
%U https://pub.dzne.de/record/154197