Open AccessProlonged Fecal Shedding of SARS‐CoV‐2 in Pediatric Patients
Author(s) -
Santos Victor S.,
Gurgel Ricardo Q.,
Cuevas Luis E.,
MartinsFilho Paulo R.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.206
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1536-4801
pISSN - 0277-2116
DOI - 10.1097/mpg.0000000000002798
Subject(s) - viral shedding , feces , medicine , coronavirus , covid-19 , confidence interval , respiratory system , transmission (telecommunications) , betacoronavirus , virology , immunology , gastroenterology , disease , virus , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , electrical engineering , infectious disease (medical specialty) , engineering
The aim of the study was to investigate differences in viral shedding in respiratory and fecal samples from children with novel coronavirus disease 19. We searched PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, and Web of Science databases to identify pediatric studies comparing the pattern of fecal and respiratory shedding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) RNA. Summary estimates were calculated using random‐effects models. Four studies reporting data from 36 children were included. A higher proportion of children had viral shedding in stools after 14 days of symptoms onset compared to respiratory samples (risk ratio = 3.2, 95% confidence interval 1.2–8.9, I 2 = 51%). Viral RNA shedding was longer in fecal samples with a mean difference of approximately 9 days (mean difference = 8.6, 95% confidence interval 1.7–15.4, I 2 = 77%) compared with respiratory samples. SARS‐CoV‐2 shedding seems to be present in feces for a longer time than in the respiratory tract of children. Although fecal SARS‐CoV‐2 presence in feces do not confirm its transmissibility, the high and fast spread of the novel coronavirus disease 19 worldwide indicate other transmission routes are also plausible.