Central Nervous System Infections Associated with the SARS-CoV-2 Virus

Abstract

Neurological manifestations in addition to the typical clinical symptoms of COVID-19, have been reported around the world. A case series of clinical suspect of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the central nervous system (n=8) were analyzed. Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF) and nasopharyngeal swab were analyzed by RT-PCR. Our results showed SARS-CoV-2 in five CSF samples and three patients testing positive for COVID-19 also on nasopharyngeal swab. The patients showed different clinical manifestations, including <95% saturation, fever, cough, dyspnea and abdominal pain. The findings of this study alert to the existence of nonspecific symptoms associated with central nervous system infection caused by SARS-CoV-2.