Pulmonary morphopathology as caused by the B.1.617.2 Delta Variant
February 11, 2023 | Histopathology
In May 2021, Delta variant was designated as a variant of concern (VOC). Having a 1.4 to 1.64 increased transmissibility rate compared to Alpha VOC, it outran the other variants. Additionally, studies showed that Delta was more aggressive than the previous strains.
Moreover, the immunohistochemical examination indicated that 6 patients were positive for SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Interestingly, five of the cases had SARS-CoV-2 proteins in alveolocytes; one was in an endothelial cell, a specific finding denoting that SARS-CoV-2 can cause indirect damage from thrombosis.
Despite not revealing any unique pulmonary histopathological aspects from its predecessors, the study proved that the Delta variant is one of the most aggressive strains of COVID.