If Kupffer cells (KCs), a specific kind of immune cells found in the liver, ... The newly formed KC-like syncytia take over the filtration function of the actual Kupffer cells from then on.

This is a life-saving form of compensation triggered by the intestinal microbiome.. The newly formed KC-like syncytia take over the filtration function of the actual Kupffer cells from then on.

Syncytia formation followed by the vacuolization of infected cells may account for the widespread lung damage seen in severely ill COVID-19 patients.