The study covered in this summary was published in medRxiv.org as a preprint and has not yet been peer reviewed.
Key Takeaways
Use of molecular analysis to characterize immune response in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with COVID-19 revealed that neurologic sequelae are likely due to a buildup of extrathecal proteins with a distinct response of the brain to peripheral inflammation rather than an intrathecal antiviral immune response.
Proteomics revealed an almost similar but much less pronounced CSF protein profile in COVID-19 patients compared to patients with herpes simplex viral encephalitis (HSVE)with or without bacterial superinfection.
Levels of inflammatory markers were higher in serum and CSF of patients with bacterial superinfections compared to those without bacterial superinfections.
RNA sequencing found linear mRNA, micro RNAs, and t-RNA fragments differentially expressed in COVID-19 patients compared to patients with HSVE or control group patients.
Why This Matters
There are few data on evidence for direct brain damage and inflammatory mediators within the CSF of patients with COVID-19.
Studies to this point have not determined whether COVID-19 patients with and those without bacterial superinfection have neurologic sequelae with changes in inflammatory markers.
The results of this study allow for further investigation into blood-derived mediators of inflammation in CSF for neurologic symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection.
