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Whole-body PET imaging reveals SARS-CoV-2 persistence and provides insights into long COVID


​​Researchers from IDMIT Department, in collaboration with the CEA-Joliot Institute, has developed a PET imaging strategy to visualize and quantify the distribution of SARS-CoV-2 throughout the whole body in a non-human primate model. They characterized the distribution of the virus during the acute phase in the brain, kidneys, lungs, and respiratory tract, and, three months after infection, its persistence in the lungs and brain. These findings were published in Nature Communications.​

Published on 20 March 2025

​The COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than 780 million people worldwide, with nearly 7 million deaths (168,000 in France)*. Thanks to vaccines and treatments, mortality has decreased, but the virus continues to circulate and evolve. While the mechanisms of acute infection are now better understood, many questions remain about its long-term effects, particularly in the context of long COVID. One major challenge is studying the distribution of the virus throughout the entire body. Current methods rely mainly on nasopharyngeal or blood samples, which do not allow direct observation of infected tissues.

A new imaging approach to track the virus in the body

To overcome these limitations, a team from IDMIT Department, in collaboration with the Biomaps laboratory of the CEA-Joliot Institute, developed a non-invasive imaging approach to track the virus in the body, based on the use of a SARS-CoV-2–specific monoclonal antibody labeled with a radioactive tracer. Using positron emission tomography (PET) combined with computed tomography (PET/CT), the researchers were able to follow the bodistribution of the virus and visualize  its presence in real time in different organs.

Viral persistence and implications for long COVID

Applied to a non-human primate model, this method revealed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 during the acute phase of infection in the lungs, brain, respiratory tract, and kidneys, confirming that the virus spreads well beyond the lungs. Three months after infection, traces of the virus were still detected in the lungs and brains of convalescent animals. These results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 may persist longer in the body than previously thought, which could explain some of the persistent symptoms observed in patients with long COVID.

The whole-body tracking imaging method provides a new way to explore the long-term spread and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 without invasive sampling. It improves our understanding of the pathophysiology of COVID-19, including in the context of long COVID, and allows long-term evaluation of vaccine candidates and treatments. This approach paves the way for targeted therapeutic strategies to eliminate viral reservoirs in the body, making an essential contribution to the fight against COVID-19 and its prolonged effects.

*Figures from Santé publique France, August 18, 2023

​Contact : thibaut.naninck@cea.fr

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