Technical note on the exploration of COVID-19 in autopsy material

• Published in: Journal of clinical pathology Vol. 76; no. 6; pp. 418 - 423
• Main Authors: Humphries, Matthew Phillip, Bingham, Victoria, Abdullah Sidi, Fatima, Craig, Stephanie, Lara, Beatrize, El-daly, Hesham, O'Doherty, Nicole, Maxwell, Perry, Lewis, Claire, McQuaid, Stephen, Lyness, James, James, Jacqueline, Snead, David R J, Salto-Tellez, Manuel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Association of Clinical Pathologists 01.06.2023; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Publishing Group
• Subjects: Annotations; Antibodies; Automation; Autopsies; Autopsy; Biomarkers; Biopsy; Cellular biology; COVID-19; COVID-19 - diagnosis; COVID-19 - pathology; COVID-19 Testing; Humans; Inflammation; Lung - pathology; MOLECULAR BIOLOGY; Pathology; Pathology, Molecular; Pneumonia; Reagents; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Short Report; United States > US; COVID-19; Autopsy; Pathology, Molecular; MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
• ISSN: 0021-9746; 1472-4146
• DOI: 10.1136/jcp-2022-208525

Interrogation of immune response in autopsy material from patients with SARS-CoV-2 is potentially significant. We aim to describe a validated protocol for the exploration of the molecular physiopathology of SARS-CoV-2 pulmonary disease using multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF).The application of validated assays for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in tissues, originally developed in our laboratory in the context of oncology, was used to map the topography and complexity of the adaptive immune response at protein and mRNA levels.SARS-CoV-2 is detectable in situ by protein or mRNA, with a sensitivity that could be in part related to disease stage. In formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded pneumonia material, multiplex immunofluorescent panels are robust, reliable and quantifiable and can detect topographic variations in inflammation related to pathological processes.Clinical autopsies have relevance in understanding diseases of unknown/complex pathophysiology. In particular, autopsy materials are suitable for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and for the topographic description of the complex tissue-based immune response using mIF.