Scientist Captures New Images of SARS-CoV-2-Infected Cells
By Science News Staff / Source
Dr. Camille Ehre from the Baric and Boucher Laboratories
at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine inoculated the
SARS-Co-V-2 virus into human bronchial epithelial cells.
The inoculation was performed in a
biosafety level 3 facility and had a multiplicity of infection — indicating the
ratio of virus particles to targeted airway cells — of 3:1.
The cells were examined 96 hours
after infection with the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
The images show infected ciliated
cells with strands of mucus (yellow) attached to cilia tips (blue).
Cilia are the hair-like structures
on the surface of airway epithelial cells that transport mucus and trapped
viruses from the lung.
A higher power magnification image
shows the structure and density of SARS-CoV-2 virions (red) produced by human
airway epithelia.
Virions are the complete, infectious
form of the virus released onto respiratory surfaces by infected host cells.
An even closer-up image below....
A higher power magnification image shows the structure and density of SARS-CoV-2 virions (red). Image credit: Camille Ehre, doi: 10.1056/NEJMicm2023328.
“This imaging research helps illustrate
the incredibly high number of virions produced and released per cell inside the
human respiratory system,” Dr. Ehre said.
“The large viral burden is a source
for spread of infection to multiple organs of an infected individual and likely
mediates the high frequency of COVID-19 transmission to others.”
“These images make a strong case for
the use of masks by infected and uninfected individuals to limit SARS-CoV-2
transmission.”
The work was
published this month in the Images in Medicine section of the New England Journal of Medicine.
_____
Camille Ehre. 2020. SARS-CoV-2
Infection of Airway Cells. N Engl J Med 383: 969; doi:
10.1056/NEJMicm2023328