Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2003 Oct 1;37(7):929-32.
doi: 10.1086/377612. Epub 2003 Sep 8.

Coronavirus 229E-related pneumonia in immunocompromised patients

Frédéric Pene  1 , Annabelle Merlat, Astrid Vabret, Flore Rozenberg, Agnès Buzyn, François Dreyfus, Alain Cariou, François Freymuth, Pierre Lebon
Affiliations
Case Reports

Coronavirus 229E-related pneumonia in immunocompromised patients

Frédéric Pene et al. Clin Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Coronaviruses strains 229E and OC43 have been associated with various respiratory illnesses ranging from the self-resolving common cold to severe pneumonia. Although chronic underlying conditions are major determinants of severe respiratory virus infections, few data about coronavirus-related pneumonia in immunocompromised patients are available. Here we report 2 well-documented cases of pneumonia related to coronavirus 229E, each with a different clinical presentation. Diagnosis was made on the basis of viral culture and electron microscopy findings that exhibited typical crown-like particles and through amplification of the viral genome by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. On the basis of this report, coronaviruses should be considered as potential causative microorganisms of pneumonia in immunocompromised patients.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Electron micrograph of culture medium from the bronchoalveolar lavage—fluid specimen obtained from patient 1. Note the presence of coronavirus particles with thin, club-shaped spikes (arrowhead). Negatively stained with 2% phosphotungstic acid buffered solution, pH 7.0. Line is 0.1 µm in length.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Ethidium bromide stain of a 2% agarose gel, showing RT-PCR amplification products of coronavirus M gene with 229E strain—specific primers. Lane 1, Supernatant of the HUH7 cell culture for patient 1. Lane 2, Supernatant of the HUH7 cell culture of another patient with common cold. Lane 3, Supernatant of noninfected HUH7 cells. Lane 4, Negative control extraction. Lane 5, Negative control PCR mix. Lane 6, Positive control strain 229E grown in MRC5 cells. Lane 7, (L) size markers (100 pb).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Soubani AO, Miller KB, Hassoun PM. Pulmonary complications of bone marrow transplantatio. Chest. 1996;109:1066–77. - PubMed
    1. Hendley JO, Fishburne HB, Gwaltney JM., Jr Coronavirus infections in working adults. Eight-year study with 229 E and OC 4. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1972;105:805–11. - PubMed
    1. Wenzel RP, Hendley JO, Davies JA, Gwaltney JM., Jr Coronavirus infections in military recruits. Three-year study with coronavirus strains OC43 and 229. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1974;109:621–4. - PubMed
    1. Makela MJ, Puhakka T, Ruuskanen O, et al. Viruses and bacteria in the etiology of the common col. J Clin Microbiol. 1998;36:539–42. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vabret A, Mourez T, Gouarin S, Petitjean J, Freymuth F. An Outbreak of coronavirus OC43 respiratory infection in Normandy, Franc. Clin Infect Dis. 2003;36:985–9. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

-