Histopathology of the tongue in a hamster model of COVID-19
Abstract Objective With altered sense of taste being a common symptom of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the main objective was to investigate the presence and distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) within the tongue over the course of infection. Methods Go...
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BMC
2025-01-01
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| Series: | BMC Oral Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-05420-9 |
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| author | John Coggins Marina Hosotani Saito Rebecca Cook Shinji Urata Megumi Urata Nantian Lin Harsell Wilhelmina Nanrui Tan Bibiana Toro Figueira Megan Bradley Nadia Z. Quadri Janisah Amirah I. Saripada Rachel A. Reyna Junki Maruyama Slobodan Paessler Tomoko Makishima |
| author_facet | John Coggins Marina Hosotani Saito Rebecca Cook Shinji Urata Megumi Urata Nantian Lin Harsell Wilhelmina Nanrui Tan Bibiana Toro Figueira Megan Bradley Nadia Z. Quadri Janisah Amirah I. Saripada Rachel A. Reyna Junki Maruyama Slobodan Paessler Tomoko Makishima |
| author_sort | John Coggins |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Objective With altered sense of taste being a common symptom of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the main objective was to investigate the presence and distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) within the tongue over the course of infection. Methods Golden Syrian hamsters were inoculated intranasally with SARS-CoV-2 and tongues were collected at 2, 3, 5, 8, 17, 21, 35, and 42 days post-infection (dpi) for analysis. In order to test for gross changes in the tongue, the papillae of the tongue were counted. Paraffin-embedded thin sections of the tongues were labeled for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antigen. Results There was no difference in fungiform or filiform papillae density throughout the course of infection. SARS-CoV-2 antigen was observed in the vallate papillae taste buds (3–35 dpi) and autonomic ganglia (5–35 dpi), as well as in the serous and mucous salivary glands of the posterior tongue (2–42 dpi). Conclusion The presence and distribution of SARS-CoV-2 suggest that the virus could cause taste disturbance by infecting the vallate papillae taste buds. This effect could be exacerbated by a diminished secretion of saliva caused by infection of the serous salivary glands and the autonomic ganglia which innervate them. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6e3c3f8879434902bddc5205d2a8cf0f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1472-6831 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Oral Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-6e3c3f8879434902bddc5205d2a8cf0f2025-01-26T12:55:00ZengBMCBMC Oral Health1472-68312025-01-012511810.1186/s12903-025-05420-9Histopathology of the tongue in a hamster model of COVID-19John Coggins0Marina Hosotani Saito1Rebecca Cook2Shinji Urata3Megumi Urata4Nantian Lin Harsell5Wilhelmina Nanrui Tan6Bibiana Toro Figueira7Megan Bradley8Nadia Z. Quadri9Janisah Amirah I. Saripada10Rachel A. Reyna11Junki Maruyama12Slobodan Paessler13Tomoko Makishima14Department of Otolaryngology, University of Texas Medical Branch at GalvestonDepartment of Otolaryngology, University of Texas Medical Branch at GalvestonDepartment of Otolaryngology, University of Texas Medical Branch at GalvestonDepartment of Otolaryngology, University of Texas Medical Branch at GalvestonDepartment of Otolaryngology, University of Texas Medical Branch at GalvestonSchool of Medicine, University of Texas Medical BranchSchool of Medicine, University of Texas Medical BranchSchool of Medicine, University of Texas Medical BranchSchool of Medicine, University of Texas Medical BranchSchool of Medicine, University of Texas Medical BranchSchool of Medicine, University of Texas Medical BranchDepartment of Pathology, University of Texas Medical BranchDepartment of Pathology, University of Texas Medical BranchDepartment of Pathology, University of Texas Medical BranchDepartment of Otolaryngology, University of Texas Medical Branch at GalvestonAbstract Objective With altered sense of taste being a common symptom of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the main objective was to investigate the presence and distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) within the tongue over the course of infection. Methods Golden Syrian hamsters were inoculated intranasally with SARS-CoV-2 and tongues were collected at 2, 3, 5, 8, 17, 21, 35, and 42 days post-infection (dpi) for analysis. In order to test for gross changes in the tongue, the papillae of the tongue were counted. Paraffin-embedded thin sections of the tongues were labeled for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antigen. Results There was no difference in fungiform or filiform papillae density throughout the course of infection. SARS-CoV-2 antigen was observed in the vallate papillae taste buds (3–35 dpi) and autonomic ganglia (5–35 dpi), as well as in the serous and mucous salivary glands of the posterior tongue (2–42 dpi). Conclusion The presence and distribution of SARS-CoV-2 suggest that the virus could cause taste disturbance by infecting the vallate papillae taste buds. This effect could be exacerbated by a diminished secretion of saliva caused by infection of the serous salivary glands and the autonomic ganglia which innervate them.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-05420-9SARS-CoV-2DysgeusiaVallate papillae |
| spellingShingle | John Coggins Marina Hosotani Saito Rebecca Cook Shinji Urata Megumi Urata Nantian Lin Harsell Wilhelmina Nanrui Tan Bibiana Toro Figueira Megan Bradley Nadia Z. Quadri Janisah Amirah I. Saripada Rachel A. Reyna Junki Maruyama Slobodan Paessler Tomoko Makishima Histopathology of the tongue in a hamster model of COVID-19 BMC Oral Health SARS-CoV-2 Dysgeusia Vallate papillae |
| title | Histopathology of the tongue in a hamster model of COVID-19 |
| title_full | Histopathology of the tongue in a hamster model of COVID-19 |
| title_fullStr | Histopathology of the tongue in a hamster model of COVID-19 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Histopathology of the tongue in a hamster model of COVID-19 |
| title_short | Histopathology of the tongue in a hamster model of COVID-19 |
| title_sort | histopathology of the tongue in a hamster model of covid 19 |
| topic | SARS-CoV-2 Dysgeusia Vallate papillae |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-05420-9 |
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