SARS-CoV-2 infection and replication in human gastric organoids

COVID-19 typically manifests as a respiratory illness but several clinical reports described gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. This is particularly true in children, whom GI symptoms are frequent and viral shedding outlasts viral clearance from the respiratory system. These observations raise the question of whether the virus can replicate within the stomach. Here we show the novel derivation of gastric organoids from fetal, pediatric and adult biopsies and prove their value as in vitro models for SARS-CoV-2 infection. To facilitate infection, we induced a reversed polarity in our organoids (RP-GOs). The pediatric RP-GOs are fully susceptible to infection with SARS-CoV-2, while the viral replication is significantly lower in organoids of fetal and adult origin. Transcriptomic analysis shows a moderate innate antiviral response and the lack of differentially expressed genes belonging to the interferon family. Collectively, we show how the virus can efficiently infect gastric epithelium, suggesting that the stomach might have an active role in fecal-oral SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Transcriptomic analysis of organoids derived from fetal, pediatric and adult gastric samples infected by SARS-CoV-2 virus at MOI 1, and paired negative controls.