SARS-CoV-2 infects adipose tissue, where it can act as an ongoing source of virus replication and inflammation, according to a study that may indicate why obesity has proven to be such a significant risk factor for severe COVID-19.
Although researchers involved with the study said they could not determine if the infection of adipose tissue contributes to long COVID, their results suggest adipose tissue can act as a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 to cause prolonged health concerns.
“Here, we report that SARS-CoV-2 infects human adipose tissue, targeting both mature adipocytes and a subset of