Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 shedding in the respiratory tract and feces of children
Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 shedding in the respiratory tract and feces of children. Heneghan C
https://www.cebm.net/study/prolonged-sars-cov-2-shedding-in-the-respiratory-tract-and-feces-of-children/
Published on July 30, 2020
Included in
Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19
| Reference |
Cai J, Xu J, Lin D, et al. A Case Series of children with 2019 novel coronavirus infection: clinical and epidemiological features Clin Infect Dis. 2020;ciaa198. doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa198 |
| Study type |
|
| Country |
China |
| Setting |
Children's Hospital |
| Funding Details |
This study was supported by the grant from the National Science and Technology Major Project of China during the "13th Five-Year" Plan Period |
| Transmission mode |
Orofecal |
| Exposures |
|
Bottom Line
Prolonged virus shedding is observed in the respiratory tract and feces of children at the convalescent stage.
Evidence Summary
None of the ten patients had diarrhoea or dyspnea during the course of illness. 2019-nCoV RNA was detected in nasopharyngeal and throat swabs from all patients within 4-48 hours after symptom onset. Six patients had fecal samples tested within 3-13 days after illness onset and 5 (83%) showed positivity
What did they do?
Between 19 January and 3 February 2020, a total of ten children with confirmed 2019-nCoV infection were admitted to the Children’s Hospital in Shanghai, Hainan. A duplex one-step real-time RT-PCR was performed to confirm infection at the local CDC reference laboratory.
A cycle threshold value less than 35 was defined as a positive test.
Study reliability
| Clearly defined setting |
Demographic characteristics described |
Follow-up length was sufficient |
Transmission outcomes assessed |
Main biases are taken into consideration |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes
|
No |
What else should I consider?
About the authors
Carl Heneghan
Carl is Professor of EBM & Director of CEBM at the University of Oxford. He is also a GP and tweets @carlheneghan. He has an active interest in discovering the truth behind health research findings
