Challenges to Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Nervous System

Abstract

Abstract The SARS-CoV-2 may invade the nervous system but it is rarely found in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). We evaluated the accuracy of real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV-2 combined with specifics IgG and IgM, neopterin and CXCL-10 in 70 CSF from patients with neurological disorders associated or not with COVID-19. We found 57.1% sensitivity for IgG, 28.57% for IgM, 100% specificity for both tests, and higher protein and CXCL-10 in COVID-19 groups. No samples were positive for RT-PCR in CSF. Although the limited sensitivity, the reactive tests may still contribute to confirm the diagnosis of neurological complications associated with COVID-19.