Molecular Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded Specimens

Xiankun Zeng; Jun Liu; April Babka; Brian Kearney; Sheli Radoshitzky; Jens Kuhn

The SARS-CoV-2 genomes shares 79.6% and 50.0% nucleotide sequence identity with the 39 genomes of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, respectively (5). Similar to SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 40 virions use their spike (S) glycoproteins to engage host-cell angiotensin I-converting enzyme 2 41 (ACE2) to gain entry into host cells and host-cell transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) 42 for S priming (7). 43 Bats are speculated to be the natural reservoir of SARS-CoV-2 because numerous other 44 betacoronaviruses are of chiropteran origin (8, 9) . However, although the COVID-19 pandemic 45 may have begun with a bat-to-human transmission event, it appears that close to all human 46 infections trace back to respiratory droplets produced by infected people and fomites (respiratory 47 droplet landing sites) (10, 11). Human infections lead to various degrees of disease severity, 48 ranging from asymptomatic infection or mild symptoms to fatal pneumonia. Older patients or 49 patients with chronic medical conditions are more vulnerable to becoming critically ill with poor 50 prognosis (12). The most common symptoms and clinical signs of COVID-19 are fever, cough, 51 author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.