Overview
- The peer‑reviewed report in Chemical Senses analyzed 28 non‑hospitalized people more than a year after COVID‑19, with taste‑bud biopsies performed in 20 participants.
- Objective testing showed measurable impairment as 8 of 28 had clearly abnormal overall scores and 11 reported complete loss of one or more taste qualities.
- Deficits disproportionately affected sweet, bitter and umami sensations that depend on PLCβ2‑mediated signaling, while salty and sour were largely preserved.
- qPCR revealed reduced PLCβ2 mRNA in taste receptor cells, and histology showed generally intact buds with occasional structural disorganization and isolated PLCβ2‑positive cells.
- Researchers note that taste cells normally renew every 2–4 weeks yet deficits persisted beyond a year, and they call for replication studies and exploration of targeted therapies.