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 6
Correlation of RT-qPCR clinical specimens taken during days 10 to 15 and laboratory values in 40 patients with SARS who had specimens taken from all four anatomic sitesa
| Lymphopenia |
Hepatic dysfunction |
Abnormal urinalysis results |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specimen | Y | N | p value | Y | N | p value | Y | N | p value |
| NPA (n=40) | |||||||||
| RT-qPCR (+) (n = 18) | 15 | 3 | 0.6 | 10 | 8 | 0.8 | 16 | 2 | 0.4 |
| RT-qPCR (–) (n = 22) | 20 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 6 | |||
| Median viral load
(log10 copies/mL) |
2.9 |
0 |
0.9 |
0 |
0 |
0.9 |
0.8 |
0 |
0.5 |
| Serum (n = 40) | |||||||||
| RT-qPCR (+) (n = 18) | 16 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 0.8 | 16 | 2 | 0.4 |
| RT-qPCR (–) (n = 22) | 19 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 6 | |||
| Median viral load
(log10 copies/mL) |
0 |
0 |
0.6 |
0 |
0 |
0.7 |
1.1 |
0 |
0.3 |
| Stool (n = 40) | |||||||||
| RT-qPCR (+) (n = 30) | 27 | 3 | 0.6 | 18 | 12 | 0.3 | 25 | 5 | 0.2 |
| RT-qPCR (–) (n = 10) | 8 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 4 | |||
| Median viral load
(log10 copies/mL) |
7.9 |
7.2 |
0.8 |
7.8 |
4.7 |
0.04 |
7.8 |
2.6 |
0.1 |
| Urine (n = 40) | |||||||||
| RT-qPCR (+) (n = 9) | 8 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0.1 | 8 | 1 | 0.7 |
| RT-qPCR (–) (n = 31) | 27 | 4 | 14 | 17 | 23 | 8 | |||
| Median viral load (log10 copies/mL) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.06 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 |
aRT-qPCR, quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction; SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome; Y, yes; N, no; NPA, nasopharyngeal aspirates.
