Spitting Distance

It’s been known for some time that SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, infects cells in the nose and lungs. It does this by attaching to ‘gateway’ molecules on cells, known as ACE2 and TMPRSS2, which enable the virus to get in. Researchers have now found a new way that the virus can get into the body through infecting certain cells in the salivary glands in the mouth that also carry these viral ‘gateways’. This image shows cells in the salivary gland (green and blue) of someone who died with COVID-19, with SARS-CoV-2 virus particles highlighted in pink. The discovery that SARS-CoV-2 can infect cells in the mouth points towards a potentially larger role for saliva in spreading COVID-19, either within the body or to other people. It also helps to explain some of the symptoms experienced by people with COVID-19, such as loss of taste and mouth ulcers.

Written by Kat Arney

Kat Arney

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Dr Kat Arney is an award-winning science writer, broadcaster and public speaker, and is the founder and Creative Director of First Create The Media.

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• Image by Paola Perez PhD, Warner Lab
• Research by Ni Huang, Paola Perez, Takafumi Kato & Yu Mikami, and colleagues
• Image copyright held by the original authors
• Research published in Nature Medicine, March 2021