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Review
. 2022 Feb 4;14(2):321.
doi: 10.3390/v14020321.

Cell-Free DNA: Potential Application in COVID-19 Diagnostics and Management

Robert Stawski  1 , Dariusz Nowak  1 , Ewelina Perdas  2
Affiliations
Review

Cell-Free DNA: Potential Application in COVID-19 Diagnostics and Management

Robert Stawski et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

WHO has declared COVID-19 as a worldwide, public health emergency. The elderly, pregnant women, and people with associated co-morbidities, including pulmonary disease, heart failure, diabetes, and cancer are the most predisposed population groups to infection. Cell-free DNA is a very commonly applied marker, which is elevated in various pathological conditions. However, it has a much higher sensitivity than standard biochemical markers. cfDNA appears to be an effective marker of COVID-19 complications, and also serves as a marker of certain underlying health conditions and risk factors of severe illness during COVID-19 infection. We aimed to present the possible mechanisms and sources of cfDNA released during moderate and severe infections. Moreover, we attempt to verify how efficiently cfDNA increase could be applied in COVID-19 risk assessment and how it corresponds with epidemiological data.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; cell-free DNA marker.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 3
Figure 3
Scheme showing the most common complications of COVID-19 in the context of cell-free DNA fold changes [4,24,106,107,120,121,122,123,124,125].
Figure 1
Figure 1
ACE2 as the entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2 and possible sources of cfDNA during COVID-19 infection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
COVID-19 management based on cell-free DNA analysis [92,93]. Schematic representation of how to deal with a patient, based on the level of cfDNA, reflecting the current condition and the stage of disease in the COVID-19 patient. Filled spots represent the potential cfDNA releasing organ (details shown in Figure 3).
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