tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Infect Dis
. 2020 Jul 29;jiaa464.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa464. Online ahead of print.
Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 Emergence Amidst Community-Acquired Respiratory Viruses
Karoline Leuzinger[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Tim Roloff[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Rainer Gosert[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kirstin Sogaard[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Klaudia Naegele[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Katharina Rentsch[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Roland Bingisser[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Christian H Nickel[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Hans Pargger[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Stefano Bassetti[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Julia Bielicki[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Nina Khanna[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Sarah Tschudin Sutter[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Andreas Widmer[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Vladimira Hinic[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Manuel Battegay[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Adrian Egli[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Hans H Hirsch[SUP] 1 2 10 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: SARS-CoV-2 emerged in China as the cause of CoVID-19 in December 2019 reaching Europe by late January 2020, when community-acquired respiratory viruses (CARVs) are at their annual peak. We validated the WHO-recommended SARS-CoV-2-assay and analyzed the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and CARVs.
Methods: Naso-oropharyngeal swabs (NOPS) from 7663 patients were prospectively tested by Basel-S-gene and WHO-based E-gene-assay (Roche) in parallel using Basel-N-gene-assay for confirmation. CARVs were prospectively tested in 2394 NOPS by multiplex-NAT, including 1816 (75%) simultaneously for SARS-CoV-2.
Results: Basel-S-gene and Roche-E-gene-assays were concordant in 7475 cases (97.5%) including 825 (11%) SARS-CoV-2-positives. In 188 (2.5%) discordant cases, SARS-CoV-2-loads were significantly lower than in concordant positive ones and confirmed in 105 (1.4%). Adults were more frequently SARS-CoV-2-positive, while children tested more frequently CARV-positive. CARV co-infections with SARS-CoV-2 occurred in 1.8%. SARS-CoV-2 replaced CARVs within 3 weeks reaching 48% of all detected respiratory viruses followed by rhino/enterovirus (13%), influenzavirus (12%), coronavirus (9%), respiratory syncytial (6%) and metapneumovirus (6%).
Conclusions: Winter CARVs were dominant during the early SARS-CoV-2 pandemic impacting infection control and treatment decisions, but were rapidly replaced suggesting competitive infection. We hypothesize that pre-existing immune memory and innate immune interference contribute to the different SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology among adults and children.
Keywords: COVID-19; co-infection; multiplex; nucleic acid testing; respiratory virus.
. 2020 Jul 29;jiaa464.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa464. Online ahead of print.
Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 Emergence Amidst Community-Acquired Respiratory Viruses
Karoline Leuzinger[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Tim Roloff[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Rainer Gosert[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kirstin Sogaard[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Klaudia Naegele[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Katharina Rentsch[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Roland Bingisser[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Christian H Nickel[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Hans Pargger[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Stefano Bassetti[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Julia Bielicki[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Nina Khanna[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Sarah Tschudin Sutter[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Andreas Widmer[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Vladimira Hinic[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Manuel Battegay[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Adrian Egli[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Hans H Hirsch[SUP] 1 2 10 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 32726441
- DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa464
Abstract
Background: SARS-CoV-2 emerged in China as the cause of CoVID-19 in December 2019 reaching Europe by late January 2020, when community-acquired respiratory viruses (CARVs) are at their annual peak. We validated the WHO-recommended SARS-CoV-2-assay and analyzed the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and CARVs.
Methods: Naso-oropharyngeal swabs (NOPS) from 7663 patients were prospectively tested by Basel-S-gene and WHO-based E-gene-assay (Roche) in parallel using Basel-N-gene-assay for confirmation. CARVs were prospectively tested in 2394 NOPS by multiplex-NAT, including 1816 (75%) simultaneously for SARS-CoV-2.
Results: Basel-S-gene and Roche-E-gene-assays were concordant in 7475 cases (97.5%) including 825 (11%) SARS-CoV-2-positives. In 188 (2.5%) discordant cases, SARS-CoV-2-loads were significantly lower than in concordant positive ones and confirmed in 105 (1.4%). Adults were more frequently SARS-CoV-2-positive, while children tested more frequently CARV-positive. CARV co-infections with SARS-CoV-2 occurred in 1.8%. SARS-CoV-2 replaced CARVs within 3 weeks reaching 48% of all detected respiratory viruses followed by rhino/enterovirus (13%), influenzavirus (12%), coronavirus (9%), respiratory syncytial (6%) and metapneumovirus (6%).
Conclusions: Winter CARVs were dominant during the early SARS-CoV-2 pandemic impacting infection control and treatment decisions, but were rapidly replaced suggesting competitive infection. We hypothesize that pre-existing immune memory and innate immune interference contribute to the different SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology among adults and children.
Keywords: COVID-19; co-infection; multiplex; nucleic acid testing; respiratory virus.