Open AccessProlonged Viral Shedding in Three Young Adult Cases of COVID-19
Author(s) -
Wei Dong,
MingJu Zhou,
Lei Huang,
Chao Zhang,
Fusheng Wang,
Zhongkui Xie
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
infectious diseases and immunity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2096-9511
pISSN - 2693-8839
DOI - 10.1097/id9.0000000000000041
Subject(s) - viral shedding , covid-19 , viral load , coronavirus , transmission (telecommunications) , medicine , respiratory tract , virology , respiratory system , immunology , virus , immune system , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , electrical engineering , engineering
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection is usually self-limited, with a short duration for viral shedding within several weeks. However, prolonged viral shedding has been observed in severe or immune-compromised coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. Here, we reported that three young adult cases of COVID-19 patients, who were either immunosuppressed nor severe, showed prolonged viral RNA shedding from the upper respiratory tract for 58, 81, and 137 days since initial diagnosis. To our knowledge, this is the longest duration of viral shedding reported to date in young adult patients. Further studies on factors relevant to prolonged viral positivity, as well as the correlation between viral positivity and transmission risk are needed for the optimal management of COVID-19 patients with prolonged nucleic acid positive.