Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36504555›Full record

Observational studyWorld journal of gastroenterology2022

Virological and histological evaluation of intestinal samples in COVID-19 patients.

Dajana Cuicchi, Liliana Gabrielli, Maria Lucia Tardio, Giada Rossini, Antonietta D'Errico, Pierluigi Viale, Tiziana Lazzarotto, Gilberto Poggioli

Open access · hybridAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in World journal of gastroenterology, 2022. 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
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 43% 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. Article
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

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Dajana CuicchiDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna 40138, Italy. dajana.cuicchi@aosp.bo.it.
Liliana GabrielliDepartment of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Microbiology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna 40138, Italy.
Maria Lucia TardioDepartment of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Pathology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna 40138, Italy.
Giada RossiniDepartment of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Microbiology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna 40138, Italy.
Antonietta D'ErricoDepartment of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Pathology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna 40138, Italy.
Pierluigi VialeDepartment for Integrated Infectious Risk Management, Infectious Diseases Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna 40138, Italy.
Tiziana LazzarottoDepartment of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Microbiology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna 40138, Italy.
Gilberto PoggioliDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna 40138, Italy.
Azienda USL di Bologna · ITUniversity of Bologna · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the pathogen responsible for pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It is a highly contagious virus which primarily affects the respiratory tract, nevertheless, the lungs are not the only target organs of the virus. The intestinal tract could represent an additional tropism site for SARS-CoV-2. Several observations have collectively suggested that enteric infections can occur in COVID-19 patients. However, the detection of viral RNA in gastrointestinal (GI) tissue samples has not been adequately investigated and results are conflicting.

aimTo detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in intestinal mucosa samples and to evaluate histological features.

methodsThe COVID-19 patients hospitalized at an Italian tertiary hospital from April 2020 to March 2021 were evaluated for enrollment in an observational, monocentric trial. The study population was composed of two groups of adult patients. In the first group (biopsy group, 30 patients), patients were eligible for inclusion if they had mild to moderate disease and if they agreed to have a rectal biopsy; in the second group (surgical specimen group, 6 patients), patients were eligible for inclusion if they underwent intestinal resection during index hospitalization. Fifty-nine intestinal mucosal samples were analyzed.

resultsViral RNA was not detectable in any of the rectal biopsies performed (0/53). Histological examination showed no enterocyte damage, but slight edema of the lamina propria with mild inflammatory lymphoplasmacytic infiltration. There was no difference in inflammatory infiltrates in patients with and without GI symptoms. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in fecal samples in 6 cases out of 14 cases examined (42.9%). In the surgical specimen group, all patients underwent emergency intestinal resection. Viral RNA was detected in 2 surgical specimens of the 6 examined, both of which were from patients with active neoplastic disease. Histological examination also pointed out abundant macrophages, granulocytes and plasma cells infiltrating the muscular layer and adipose tissue, and focal vasculitis.

conclusionMild-moderate COVID-19 may not be associated with rectal infection by the virus. More comprehensive autopsies or surgical specimens are needed to provide histological evidence of intestinal infection.

Indexed as

COVID-19AdultHumansIntestinesPatientsRNA, ViralSARS-CoV-2RNA, ViralCOVID-19Intestinal infectionIntestinal samplesIntestinal tropismRectal samplesSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID36504555
PMCPMC9730443
OpenAlexW4310122296

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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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.