Neuroinvasion of SARS-CoV-2 in the B6.Cg-Tg(K18-ACE2)2Prlmn/J transgenic mouse and subsequent encephalitis is thought to begin with initial infection of neurons in the sinus cavity that allows spread of the virus into the olfactory bulb and from there to additional regions of the CNS (Oladunni et al., 2020; Carossino et al., 2022). Here, KRT18 is linked to viral encephalitis.