tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Int J Infect Dis
. 2023 Feb 6;S1201-9712(23)00047-4.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.01.046. Online ahead of print.
High titers of infectious SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 corpses
Hisako Saitoh[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yuko Sakai-Tagawa[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Sayaka Nagasawa[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Suguru Torimitsu[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Kazumi Kubota[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Yuichiro Hirata[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Kiyoko Iwatsuki-Horimoto[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ayumi Motomura[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Namiko Ishii[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Keisuke Okaba[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Kie Horioka[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Hiroyuki Abe[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Masako Ikemura[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Hirofumi Rokutan[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Munetoshi Hinata[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Akiko Iwasaki[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Yoichi Yasunaga[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Makoto Nakajima[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Rutsuko Yamaguchi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Shigeki Tsuneya[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Kei Kira[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Susumu Kobayashi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Go Inokuchi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Fumiko Chiba[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Yumi Hoshioka[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Aika Mori[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Isao Yamamoto[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Kimiko Nakagawa[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Harutaka Katano[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Shun Iida[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Tadaki Suzuki[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Shinji Akitomi[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Iwao Hasegawa[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Tetsuo Ushiku[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Daisuke Yajima[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Hirotaro Iwase[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Yohsuke Makino[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Yoshihiro Kawaoka[SUP] 14 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: The prolonged presence of infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in deceased coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients has been reported. However, infectious virus titers have not been determined. Such information is important for public health, death investigation, and handling corpses.
Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the level of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity in COVID-19 corpses.
Methods: We collected 11 nasopharyngeal swabs and 19 lung tissue specimens from 11 autopsy cases with COVID-19 in 2021. We then investigated the viral genomic copy number by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and infectious titers by cell culture and virus isolation.
Results: Infectious virus was present in 6 of 11 (55%) cases, 4 of 11 (36%) nasopharyngeal swabs, and 9 of 19 (47%) lung specimens. The virus titers ranged from 6.00E + 01 plaque-forming units (PFU)/mL to 2.09E + 06 PFU/g. In all cases in which an infectious virus was found, the time from death to discovery was within 1 day and the longest postmortem interval was 13 days.
Conclusion: COVID-19 corpses may have high titers of infectious virus after a long postmortem interval (up to 13 days). Therefore, appropriate infection control measures must be taken when handling corpses.
Keywords: Autopsy; COVID-19; Infectious titer; Postmortem interval; SARS-CoV-2; Virus isolation.
. 2023 Feb 6;S1201-9712(23)00047-4.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.01.046. Online ahead of print.
High titers of infectious SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 corpses
Hisako Saitoh[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yuko Sakai-Tagawa[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Sayaka Nagasawa[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Suguru Torimitsu[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Kazumi Kubota[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Yuichiro Hirata[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Kiyoko Iwatsuki-Horimoto[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ayumi Motomura[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Namiko Ishii[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Keisuke Okaba[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Kie Horioka[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Hiroyuki Abe[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Masako Ikemura[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Hirofumi Rokutan[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Munetoshi Hinata[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Akiko Iwasaki[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Yoichi Yasunaga[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Makoto Nakajima[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Rutsuko Yamaguchi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Shigeki Tsuneya[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Kei Kira[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Susumu Kobayashi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Go Inokuchi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Fumiko Chiba[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Yumi Hoshioka[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Aika Mori[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Isao Yamamoto[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Kimiko Nakagawa[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Harutaka Katano[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Shun Iida[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Tadaki Suzuki[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Shinji Akitomi[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Iwao Hasegawa[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Tetsuo Ushiku[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Daisuke Yajima[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Hirotaro Iwase[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Yohsuke Makino[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Yoshihiro Kawaoka[SUP] 14 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 36754229
- DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.01.046
Abstract
Background: The prolonged presence of infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in deceased coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients has been reported. However, infectious virus titers have not been determined. Such information is important for public health, death investigation, and handling corpses.
Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the level of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity in COVID-19 corpses.
Methods: We collected 11 nasopharyngeal swabs and 19 lung tissue specimens from 11 autopsy cases with COVID-19 in 2021. We then investigated the viral genomic copy number by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and infectious titers by cell culture and virus isolation.
Results: Infectious virus was present in 6 of 11 (55%) cases, 4 of 11 (36%) nasopharyngeal swabs, and 9 of 19 (47%) lung specimens. The virus titers ranged from 6.00E + 01 plaque-forming units (PFU)/mL to 2.09E + 06 PFU/g. In all cases in which an infectious virus was found, the time from death to discovery was within 1 day and the longest postmortem interval was 13 days.
Conclusion: COVID-19 corpses may have high titers of infectious virus after a long postmortem interval (up to 13 days). Therefore, appropriate infection control measures must be taken when handling corpses.
Keywords: Autopsy; COVID-19; Infectious titer; Postmortem interval; SARS-CoV-2; Virus isolation.