Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34578398›Full record

ArticleViruses2021

Just Seeing Is Not Enough for Believing: Immunolabelling as Indisputable Proof of SARS-CoV-2 Virions in Infected Tissue.

Andreja Erman, Karmen Wechtersbach, Daniel Velkavrh, Jerica Pleško, Maja Frelih, Nika Kojc

Open access · goldAbstract readEvaluation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Viruses, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 46% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Imaging Techniques: Essential Tools for the Study of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2022
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Andreja ErmanInstitute of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Karmen WechtersbachInstitute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Daniel VelkavrhInstitute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Jerica PleškoInstitute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Maja FrelihInstitute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Nika KojcInstitute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.ORCID 0000-0003-1893-4349
University of Ljubljana · SI

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere is increasing evidence that identification of SARS-CoV-2 virions by transmission electron microscopy could be misleading due to the similar morphology of virions and ubiquitous cell structures. This study thus aimed to establish methods for indisputable proof of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virions in the observed tissue.

methodsWe developed a variant of the correlative microscopy approach for SARS-CoV-2 protein identification using immunohistochemical labelling of SARS-CoV-2 proteins on light and electron microscopy levels. We also performed immunogold labelling of SARS-CoV-2 virions.

resultsImmunohistochemistry (IHC) of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid proteins and subsequent correlative microscopy undoubtedly proved the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virions in the analysed human nasopharyngeal tissue. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 virions was also confirmed by immunogold labelling for the first time.

conclusionsImmunoelectron microscopy is the most reliable method for distinguishing intracellular viral particles from normal cell structures of similar morphology and size as virions. Furthermore, we developed a variant of correlative microscopy that allows pathologists to check the results of IHC performed first on routinely used paraffin-embedded samples, followed by semithin, and finally by ultrathin sections. Both methodological approaches indisputably proved the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virions in cells.

Indexed as

Coronavirus Nucleocapsid ProteinsCOVID-19HumansImmunohistochemistryMicroscopy, ImmunoelectronNasopharynxPhosphoproteinsSARS-CoV-2VirionCoronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteinsnucleocapsid phosphoprotein, SARS-CoV-2Phosphoproteinscorrelative microscopyelectron microscopyimmunolabellinglight microscopySARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID34578398
PMCPMC8473209
OpenAlexW3199220552

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.