tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Cornea
. 2020 Jul 2.
doi: 10.1097/ICO.0000000000002485. Online ahead of print.
A Patient with Bilateral Conjunctivitis Positive for Sars-Cov-2 RNA in Conjunctival Sample
Ender Sirakaya[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mustafa Sahiner, Hatice Aslan Sirakaya
Affiliations
Abstract
Purpose: To present a patient with bilateral conjunctivitis testing positive for viral RNA of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in both nasopharyngeal and conjunctival samples.
Methods: A 40-year-old man with bilateral acute conjunctivitis and no suspicious signs of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presented to the hospital. A detailed ophthalmic examination was performed. Samples obtained from conjunctival and nasopharyngeal swabs were tested by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) for detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus. Ocular findings and duration of the presence of viral RNA in the conjunctival specimens were evaluated at follow-up visits.
Results: Slit-lamp biomicroscopy revealed bilateral acute follicular conjunctivitis. The RT-PCR assay demonstrated the presence of viral RNA in the nasopharyngeal and conjunctival specimens at the initial visit and at the 4-day follow up. Conjunctivitis findings were decreased after 4 days and recovered completely without any sequelae within10 days. The PCR results of both nasopharyngeal and conjunctiva specimens were negative for the viral RNA at 10 days.
Conclusions: Bilateral conjunctivitis is rare in patients infected with COVID-19. Although it is difficult to detect viral RNA from conjunctival swabs, conjunctival secretions may be a source of contamination and protective measures must be taken.
. 2020 Jul 2.
doi: 10.1097/ICO.0000000000002485. Online ahead of print.
A Patient with Bilateral Conjunctivitis Positive for Sars-Cov-2 RNA in Conjunctival Sample
Ender Sirakaya[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mustafa Sahiner, Hatice Aslan Sirakaya
Affiliations
- PMID: 32794685
- DOI: 10.1097/ICO.0000000000002485
Abstract
Purpose: To present a patient with bilateral conjunctivitis testing positive for viral RNA of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in both nasopharyngeal and conjunctival samples.
Methods: A 40-year-old man with bilateral acute conjunctivitis and no suspicious signs of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presented to the hospital. A detailed ophthalmic examination was performed. Samples obtained from conjunctival and nasopharyngeal swabs were tested by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) for detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus. Ocular findings and duration of the presence of viral RNA in the conjunctival specimens were evaluated at follow-up visits.
Results: Slit-lamp biomicroscopy revealed bilateral acute follicular conjunctivitis. The RT-PCR assay demonstrated the presence of viral RNA in the nasopharyngeal and conjunctival specimens at the initial visit and at the 4-day follow up. Conjunctivitis findings were decreased after 4 days and recovered completely without any sequelae within10 days. The PCR results of both nasopharyngeal and conjunctiva specimens were negative for the viral RNA at 10 days.
Conclusions: Bilateral conjunctivitis is rare in patients infected with COVID-19. Although it is difficult to detect viral RNA from conjunctival swabs, conjunctival secretions may be a source of contamination and protective measures must be taken.