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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) enter human cells through binding of the viral spike protein to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in the membrane of mammalian cells. ACE2 expression varies considerably among the different tissues. ACE2 levels in nasal airway epithelium are relatively low, even lower in lower-airway club cells, and lowest in alveolar epithelial cells — even though in clinical SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) there may be extensive alveolar damage. However, the most frequent symptom (and the only one in many patients), occurring in up to 85% of patients with COVID-19, is anosmia. This immunohistological investigation provides an explanation for this observation.
Researchers quantitatively asses…