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Volume 26, Number 8—August 2020
Dispatch

Prolonged Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Body Fluids

Jiufeng Sun1, Jianpeng Xiao1, Ruilin Sun1, Xi Tang1, Chumin Liang, Huifang Lin, Lilian Zeng, Jianxiong Hu, Runyu Yuan, Pingping Zhou, Jinju Peng, Qianlin Xiong, Fengfu Cui, Zhe Liu, Jing Lu, Junzhang TianComments to Author , Wenjun Ma, and Changwen KeComments to Author 
Author affiliations: Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, China (J. Sun, J. Xiao, C. Liang, H. Lin, L. Zeng, J. Hu, R. Yuan, P. Zhou, J. Peng, Q. Xiong, F. Cui, Z. Liu, J. Lu, W. Ma, C. Ke); Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou (R. Sun, J. Tian); First People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China (X. Tang)

Main Article

Table

Prolonged persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in body fluids from hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease, Guangdong, China*

Specimens Mild cases, n = 43
Severe cases, n = 6
Median (95% CI) 95th percentile (95% CI) Median (95% CI) 95th percentile (95% CI)
Throat swab 15.6 (11.8–20.7) 32.8 (25.9–42.3) 33.9 (24.2–47.3) 53.9 (39.4–81.7)
Sputum 20.0 (14.1–27.0) 43.7 (33.6–60.4) 30.9 (23.5–39.1) 44.7 (36.3–58.0)
Nasopharyngeal swab 22.7 (18.8–27.5) 46.3 (39.0–55.2) 33.5 (25.7–42.7) 49.4 (38.4–68.5)
Feces 24.5 (21.2–28.3) 45.6 (40.0–52.8) 32.5 (26.3–39.1) 48.9 (41.3–59.7)

*The time until the loss of SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in each body fluid was estimated by using parametric Weibull regression models. Data are presented as medians and 95th percentiles in days after illness onset. SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

Main Article

1These authors contributed equally to this work.

Page created: May 08, 2020
Page updated: July 19, 2020
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