Upper Respiratory Tract Levels of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 RNA and Duration of Viral RNA Shedding Do Not Differ Between Patients With Mild and Severe/Critical Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Abstract

This study reports longitudinal viral RNA loads from the nasopharynx/throat in patients with mild and severe/critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We also investigated whether the duration of symptoms correlated with the duration of viral RNA shedding. A total of 56 patients were included. The highest viral loads occurred early after onset of symptoms. Neither the viral RNA loads in the upper respiratory tract nor the time to viral RNA clearance differed between patients with mild or severe/critical disease. There was a moderate correlation between number of days with symptoms and number of days with viral RNA shedding in patients with mild COVID-19.

• Authors: Aylin Yilmaz, Emelie Marklund, Maria Andersson, Staffan Nilsson, Lars-Magnus Andersson, Magnus Lindh, Magnus Gisslén
• Journal: The Journal of infectious diseases (J Infect Dis) Vol. 223 Issue 1 Pg. 15-18 (01 04 2021) ISSN: 1537-6613 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 33020822 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: [email protected].

Chemical References

• RNA, Viral

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• COVID-19 (diagnosis)
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Nasopharynx (virology)
• Pharynx (virology)
• RNA, Viral (analysis)
• Sweden
• Viral Load
• Virus Shedding
• Young Adult