Open AccessDetection of SARs CoV-2 during initial phase of pandemic from population of banas kantha district of Gujarat-India with special emphasis on pooled samples
Author(s) -
Hiren Patel,
Parijat Goswami
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
ip international journal of medical microbiology and tropical diseases/ip international journal of medical microbiology and tropical diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2581-4761
pISSN - 2581-4753
DOI - 10.18231/j.ijmmtd.2021.061
Subject(s) - asymptomatic , population , infectivity , medicine , viral load , pandemic , virology , incidence (geometry) , viral culture , virus , veterinary medicine , covid-19 , environmental health , disease , physics , infectious disease (medical specialty) , optics
Corona virus (SARs CoV-2) has caused immense effect on morbidity and mortality of the population globally. We undertook this study as we are a part of one of the network laboratories of ICMR to test the patient’s sample by RT PCR for the ORF 1 ab gene of corona virus. : For a period of one and half months (14 April to 31 May 2020) we tested the nasopharynx and oro-pharynx swab samples sent to us in VTM from the assigned districts of Gujarat. All the samples were subjected to RT PCR method by following standard methods. Total of 9.04%(256/2833) population was positive and 4.73%(139/2833) belonged to age groups 21-40 and 2.33% (66/2833) to 41-60yrs. Above the age of 60yrs there were only 0.95% (22/2833) cases which were positive. It was advantageous to pool the samples. Out of the number of pools prepared, we reported around 80% negative and rest were positive in pools. The study also included association of viral load and infectivity. We found that 12% of the asymptomatic people and 5.1% of symptomatic individuals had high viral load. : It is seen that the incidence of Novel corona virus -19 detection by RT PCR is a reliable method and the establishment of the Ct value and infectivity of the patient to the health care workers and relatives needs to be taken care of. Also, the study presents asymptomatic patients having high viral loads being highly infective.