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Item Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Is Detected in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Asymptomatic Endoscopy Patients but Is Unlikely to Pose a Significant Risk to Healthcare Personnel(Elsevier, 2022-06) Cherne, Michelle D.; Gentry, Andrew B.; Nemudraia, Anna; Nemudryi, Artem; Hedges, Jodi F.; Walk, Heather; Blackwell, Karlin; Snyder, Deann T.; Jerome, Maria; Madden, Wyatt; Hashimi, Marziah; Sebrell, T. Andrew; King, David B.; Plowright, Raina K.; Jutila, Mark A.; Wiedenheft, Blake; Bimczok, DianeBackground and aims. Recent evidence suggests that the gut is an additional target for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) infection. However, whether SARS-CoV-2 spreads via gastrointestinal secretions remains unclear. To determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal SARS-CoV-2 infection in asymptomatic subjects, we analyzed gastrointestinal biopsy and liquid samples from endoscopy patients for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. Methods. We enrolled 100 endoscopic patients without known SARS-CoV-2 infection (cohort A) and 12 patients with a previous COVID-19 diagnosis (cohort B) in a cohort study performed at a regional hospital. Gastrointestinal biopsies and fluids were screened for SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemistry, and virus isolation assay, and the stability of SARS CoV-2 in gastrointestinal liquids in vitro was analyzed. Results. SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid was detected by PCR in the colonic tissue of 1/100 patients in cohort A. In cohort B, 3 colonic liquid samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR and viral nucleocapsid protein was detected in the epithelium of the respective biopsy samples. However, no infectious virions were recovered from any samples. In vitro exposure of SARS-CoV-2 to colonic liquid led to a 4-log-fold reduction of infectious SARS-CoV-2 within 1 hour (P ≤ .05). Conclusion. Overall, the persistent detection of SARS-CoV-2 in endoscopy samples after resolution of COVID-19 points to the gut as a long term reservoir for SARS-CoV-2. Since no infectious virions were recovered and SARS-CoV-2 was rapidly inactivated in the presence of colon liquids, it is unlikely that performing endoscopic procedures is associated with a significant infection risk due to undiagnosed asymptomatic or persistent gastrointestinal SARS-CoV-2 infections.Item SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance identifies naturally occurring truncation of ORF7a that limits immune suppression(2021-06) Nemudryi, Artem; Nemudraia, Anna; Wiegand, Tanner; Nichols, Joseph; Snyder, Deann T.; Hedges, Jodi F.; Cicha, Calvin; Lee, Helen; Vanderwood, Karl K.; Bimczok, Diane; Jutila, Mark A.; Wiedenheft, BlakeOver 950,000 whole-genome sequences of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been determined for viruses isolated from around the world. These sequences are critical for understanding the spread and evolution of SARS-CoV-2. Using global phylogenomics, we show that mutations frequently occur in the C-terminal end of ORF7a. We isolate one of these mutant viruses from a patient sample and use viral challenge experiments to link this isolate (ORF7aΔ115) to a growth defect. ORF7a is implicated in immune modulation, and we show that the C-terminal truncation negates anti-immune activities of the protein, which results in elevated type I interferon response to the viral infection. Collectively, this work indicates that ORF7a mutations occur frequently, and that these changes affect viral mechanisms responsible for suppressing the immune response.