Table 1.
Summary of studies as of November 30, 2020, that have investigated direct kidney infection by SARS-CoV-2
| Source | Kidney samples assessed for SARS-CoV-2, n | Kidney biopsy versus postmortem | Methods used to detect SARS-CoV-2 | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studies that detected SARS-CoV-2 in kidney tissue | ||||
| Abbate et al. [18]. Nephron. Italy | 1 | Postmortem | TEM | Suggestive morphology of coronavirus with recognizable spikes |
| Bradley et al. [19]. Lancet. USA | 2–4 | Postmortem | RT-PCR TEM IHC: anti-SARS-S antibody, mouse, GeneTex |
RT-PCR: 3/3 samples positive TEM: 2/2 samples with viral-like particles, diameter 70–100 nm IHC: 2/4 samples positive |
| Braun et al. [20]. Lancet. Germany | 63 | Postmortem | RT-PCR | SARS-CoV-2 detected in 38/63 samples |
| Diao et al. medRxiv preprint.† China | 6 | Postmortem | TEM IHC: anti-SARS-NP antibody from clone ID: 019, rabbit, Sino Biological |
TEM: 2/2 samples with viral-like particles, diameter 80–160 nm IHC: 6/6 samples positive |
| Farkash et al. [21]. J Am Soc Nephrol. USA | 1 | Postmortem | TEM | Viral-like particles, diameter 76 µm |
| Puelles et al. [22]. N Engl J Med. Germany | 6 | Postmortem | RT-PCR, RNA-ISH | SARS-CoV-2 detected in 3/6 samples |
| Su et al. [23]. Kidney Int. China | 6–9 | Postmortem | TEM IHC: anti-SARS-NP antibody from clone ID: 019, rabbit, Sino Biological |
TEM: 7/9 samples with virus-like particles, diameter 65–136 nm with 20–25 nm spikes IHC: 3/6 samples positive |
| Studies that were negative for SARS-CoV-2 in kidney tissue | ||||
| Akilesh et al. [3, 11]. Am J Kidney Dis. USA |
17 | Kidney biopsy | RNA-ISH (4 biopsies) TEM (all biopsies) IHC: anti-SARS-NP antibody, 40143-T62, Sino Biological (4 biopsies) |
No SARS-CoV-2 detected |
| Golmai et al. [15]. J Am Soc Nephrol. USA | 12 | Postmortem | TEM | Clathrin-coated vesicles closely resembling viral particles, diameter <20 to <500 nm. No true viral particles identified. |
| Kudose et al. [7]. J Am Soc Nephrol. USA | 17 (14 native kidneys and3 transplant allografts) | Kidney biopsy | RNA-ISH TEM IHC 1. Anti-SARS-NP antibody from clone ID: 001, rabbit, Sino Biological 2. Anti-SARS-S2 antibody from clone ID: 1A9, GTX632604, mouse, GeneTex |
No SARS-CoV-2 detected |
| Larsen et al. [8]. Kidney Int Rep. USA | 1 | Kidney biopsy | RNA-ISH | No SARS-CoV-2 detected This study notes that they tested a widely used IHC antibody under numerous conditions and found nonspecific staining (anti-SARS-NP antibody from clone ID: 019, rabbit, Sino Biological) |
| Nasr et al. [9]. Am J Kidney Dis. USA | 13 | Kidney biopsy | RNA-ISH (1 biopsy) TEM (all biopsies) |
No SARS-CoV-2 detected |
| Peleg et al. [10]. Kidney Int Rep. USA | 1 | Kidney biopsy | RNA-ISH TEM |
No SARS-CoV-2 detected |
| Rossi et al. [24]. Kidney Int Rep. Italy | 1 | Kidney biopsy | RT-PCR | No SARS-CoV-2 detected |
| Santoriello et al. [5]. J Am SocNephrol. USA | 10 | Postmortem | RNA-ISH | No SARS-CoV-2 detected |
| Sharma et al. [6]. J Am Soc Nephrol. USA | 10 | Kidney biopsy | TEM IHC: SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein, clone 1C7; Bioss, Woburn, MA |
No SARS-CoV-2 detected |
| Xia et al. [25]. Am Soc Nephrol. China | 10 | Postmortem | RT-PCR IHC: anti-SARS-S from clone ID: HA14FE2402, Sino Biological |
No SARS-CoV-2 detected |
IHC, immunohistochemistry; NP, nucleocapsid protein antigen; RNA-ISH, in situ hybridization for detection of target ribonucleic acids within cells; S, spike antigen; RT-PCR, quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for detection of ribonucleic acids; TEM, transmission electron microscopy.
†
B. Diao, C.H. Wang, R.S. Wang, Z.Q. Feng, Y.J. Tan, H.M. Wang, et al.: Human kidney is a target for novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (preprint posted online April 10, 2020). medRxiv. doi: 10.1101/2020.03.04.20031120.