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01-11-2020 | Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus | Brief Report

Early histologic findings of pulmonary SARS-CoV-2 infection detected in a surgical specimen

Authors: Angelina Pernazza, Massimiliano Mancini, Emma Rullo, Massimiliano Bassi, Tiziano De Giacomo, Carlo Della Rocca, Giulia d’Amati

Published in: Virchows Archiv | Issue 5/2020

Abstract

Despite the current pandemic season, reports on pathologic features of coronavirus disease 19 (Covid-19) are exceedingly rare at the present time. Here we describe the pathologic features of early lung involvement by Covid-19 in a surgical sample resected for carcinoma from a patient who developed SARS-CoV-2 infection soon after surgery. The main histologic findings observed were pneumocyte damage, alveolar hemorrhages with clustering of macrophages, prominent and diffuse neutrophilic margination within septal vessels, and interstitial inflammatory infiltrates, mainly represented by CD8+ T lymphocytes. These features are similar to those previously described in SARS-CoV-1 infection. Subtle histologic changes suggestive pulmonary involvement by Covid-19 may be accidentally encountered in routine pathology practice, especially when extensive sampling is performed for histology. These findings should be carefully interpreted in light of the clinical context of the patient and could prompt a pharyngeal swab PCR test to rule out the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 infection in asymptomatic patients.

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Title: Early histologic findings of pulmonary SARS-CoV-2 infection detected in a surgical specimen
Authors: Angelina Pernazza
Massimiliano Mancini
Emma Rullo
Massimiliano Bassi
Tiziano De Giacomo
Carlo Della Rocca
Giulia d’Amati
Publication date: 01-11-2020
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Keywords: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus
SARS-CoV-2
COVID-19
Pathology
Published in: Virchows Archiv / Issue 5/2020
Print ISSN: 0945-6317
Electronic ISSN: 1432-2307
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-020-02829-1

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Early histologic findings of pulmonary SARS-CoV-2 infection detected in a surgical specimen

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