Volume 10, Number 9—September 2004
Research
Viral Loads in Clinical Specimens and SARS Manifestations
I.F.N. Hung*, V.C.C. Cheng*, A.K.L. Wu†, B.S.F. Tang*, K.H. Chan*, C.M. Chu‡, M.M.L. Wong§, W.T. Hui*, L.L.M. Poon*, D.M.W. Tse§, K.S. Chan‡, P.C.Y. Woo*, S.K.P. Lau*, J.S.M. Peiris*, and K.Y. Yuen*
Table 4
Correlation of RT-qPCR clinical specimens taken during days 10 to 15 and laboratory values in 154 patients with SARSa
| Specimen | Lymphopenia |
Hepatic dysfunction |
Abnormal urinalysis results |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y | N | p value; OR (CI) | Y | N | p value; OR (CI) | Y | N | p value; OR (CI) | |
| NPA (n = 142) | |||||||||
| RT-qPCR (+) (n = 60) | 56 | 4 | 0.8 | 40 | 20 | < 0.01; 2.5 (1.2-5.2) | 43 | 17 | 0.07 |
| RT-qPCR (–) (n = 82) | 70 | 12 | 38 | 44 | 52 | 30 | |||
| Median viral load (log10 copies/mL) | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 2.7 | 0 | < 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 |
| Serum (n = 53) | |||||||||
| RT-qPCR (+) (n = 22) | 20 | 2 | 0.7 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 18 | 4 | 1 |
| RT-qPCR (–) (n = 31) | 26 | 5 | 19 | 12 | 26 | 5 | |||
| Median viral load (log10 copies/mL) | 0 | 0 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 |
| Stool (n = 94) | |||||||||
| RT-qPCR (+) (n = 82) | 75 | 7 | 0.2 | 46 | 36 | 0.1 | 62 | 20 | 0.2 |
| RT-qPCR (–) (n = 12) | 9 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 5 | |||
| Median viral load (log10 copies/mL) | 7.2 | 8.2 | 0.5 | 7.7 | 6.6 | < 0.01 | 7.6 | 3.1 | < 0.01 |
| Urine (n = 111) | |||||||||
| RT-qPCR (+) (n = 32) | 29 | 3 | 0.7 | 20 | 12 | 0.2 | 29 | 3 | < 0.01; 7.2 (1.6–32.9) |
| RT-qPCR (–) (n = 79) | 69 | 10 | 38 | 41 | 50 | 29 | |||
| Median viral load (log10 copies/mL) | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | < 0.01 |
aRT-qPCR, quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction; SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome; Y, yes; N, no; OR, odds ratio; CI, 95% confidence interval; NPA, nasopharyngeal aspirates.
