SARS-CoV-2 damages ciliated cells and inhibits mucociliary clearance in the respiratory tract

COVID-19 is a viral disease with respiratory symptoms that can lead to fatal pneumonia. Understanding how SARS-CoV-2 spreads in the respiratory tract can help scientists identify the parameters controlling the severity of infection. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur, the CNRS and Inserm demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 multiplies effectively in the respiratory tract and that it mainly targets ciliated cells in the epithelium and destroys their cilia. This deterioration inhibits mucociliary clearance, a mechanism that expels inhaled particles and protects the respiratory tract from pathogens. The loss of cilia could help the virus to spread to deeper regions of the respiratory tract, until it reaches the pulmonary alveoli and triggers pneumonia. The results of the study are reported in an article published in Nature Communications.

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