Search for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in platelets from COVID-19 patients.

Bury, Loredana; Camilloni, Barbara; Castronari, Roberto; Piselli, Elisa; Malvestiti, Marco; Borghi, Mariachiara; KuchiBotla, Haripriya; Falcinelli, Emanuela; Petito, Eleonora; Amato, Felice; Paliani, Ugo; Vaudo, Gaetano; Cerotto, Vittorio; Gori, Fabio; Becattini, Cecilia; De Robertis, Edoardo; Lazzarini, Teseo; Castaldo, Giuseppe; Mencacci, Antonella; Gresele, Paolo

The frequent finding of thrombocytopenia in patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) and previous evidence that several viruses enter platelets suggest that SARS-CoV-2 might be internalized by platelets of COVID-19. Aim of our study was to assess the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in platelets from hospitalized patients with aconfirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. RNA was extracted from platelets, leukocytes and serum from 24 COVID-19 patients and 3 healthy controls, real-time PCR and ddPCR for viral genes were carried out. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was not detected in any of the samples analyzed nor in healthy controls, by either RT-PCR or ddPCR, while RNA samples from nasopharyngeal swabs of COVID-19 patients were correctly identified. Viral RNA was not detected independently of viral load, of positive nasopharyngeal swabs, or viremia, the last detected in only one patient (4.1%). SARS-CoV-2 entry in platelets is not acommon phenomenon in COVID-19 patients, differently from other viral infections.