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SARS‐CoV‐2 can be detected in urine, blood, anal swabs, and oropharyngeal swabs specimens
Author(s) -
Peng Liang,
Liu Jing,
Xu Wenxiong,
Luo Qiumin,
Chen Dabiao,
Lei Ziying,
Huang Zhanlian,
Li Xuejun,
Deng Keji,
Lin Bingliang,
Gao Zhiliang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.25936
Subject(s) - urine , urinary system , medicine , covid-19 , real time polymerase chain reaction , virology , coronavirus , respiratory tract , rna , respiratory system , disease , biology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , gene , biochemistry
Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) ribonucleic acid (RNA) in urine and blood specimens, and anal and oropharyngeal swabs from patients with confirmed SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, and correlated positive results with clinical findings. Methods Patients with confirmed SARS‐CoV‐2 infections were included in this study. Patients' demographic and clinical data were recorded. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA in urine and blood specimens, and anal and oropharyngeal swabs. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (No. NCT04279782, 19 February, 2020). Results SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA was present in all four specimen types, though not all specimen types were positive simultaneously. The presence of viral RNA was not necessarily predictive of clinical symptoms, for example, the presence of viral RNA in the urine did not necessarily predict urinary tract symptoms. Conclusions SARS‐CoV‐2 can infect multiple systems, including the urinary tract. Testing different specimen types may be useful for monitoring disease changes and progression, and for establishing a prognosis.