tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Med Virol
. 2024 May;96(5):e29676.
doi: 10.1002/jmv.29676. Presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in COVID-19 survivors with post-COVID symptoms 2 years after hospitalization: The VIPER study
César Fernández-de-Las-Peñas[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Juan Torres-Macho[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Maria Ruiz-Ruigómez[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Estibaliz Arrieta-Ortubay[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Carolina Rodríguez-Rebollo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Míriam Akasbi-Moltalvo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Virginia Pardo-Guimerá[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Pablo Ryan-Murua[SUP] 3 6 [/SUP], Carlos Lumbreras-Bermejo[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Oscar J Pellicer-Valero[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Rocco Giordano[SUP] 2 8 [/SUP], Lars Arendt-Nielsen[SUP] 2 9 10 [/SUP], Anabel Franco-Moreno[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
The SARS-CoV-2 VIrus PERsistence (VIPER) study investigated the presence of long-lasting SARS-CoV-2 RNA in plasma, stool, urine, and nasopharyngeal samples in COVID-19 survivors. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR) were analyzed within plasma, stool, urine, and nasopharyngeal swab samples in COVID-19 survivors with post-COVID symptoms and a comparison group of COVID-19 survivors without post-COVID symptoms matched by age, sex, body mass index and vaccination status. Participants self-reported the presence of any post-COVID symptom (defined as a symptom that started no later than 3 months after the initial infection). Fifty-seven (57.9% women, age: 51.1, standard deviation [SD]: 10.4 years) previously hospitalized COVID-19 survivors with post-COVID symptoms and 55 (56.4% women, age: 50.0, SD: 12.8 years) matched individuals who had a past SARS-CoV-2 infection without post-COVID symptoms were evaluated 27 (SD 7.5) and 26 (SD 8.7) months after hospital discharge, respectively. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was identified in three nasopharyngeal samples of patients with post-COVID symptoms (5.2%) but not in plasma, stool, or urine samples. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was not identified in any sample of survivors without post-COVID symptoms. The most prevalent post-COVID symptoms consisted of fatigue (93%), dyspnea, and pain (both, 87.7%). This study did not find SARS-CoV-2 RNA in plasma, stool, or urine samples, 2 years after the infection. A prevalence of 5.2% of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in nasopharyngeal samples, suggesting a potential active or recent reinfection, was found in patients with post-COVID symptoms. These results do not support the association between SARS-CoV-2 RNA in plasma, stool, urine, or nasopharyngeal swab samples and post-COVID symptomatology in the recruited population.
Keywords: RNA; long‐COVID; plasma; post‐COVID‐19; stool; urine; viral persistence.
. 2024 May;96(5):e29676.
doi: 10.1002/jmv.29676. Presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in COVID-19 survivors with post-COVID symptoms 2 years after hospitalization: The VIPER study
César Fernández-de-Las-Peñas[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Juan Torres-Macho[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Maria Ruiz-Ruigómez[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Estibaliz Arrieta-Ortubay[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Carolina Rodríguez-Rebollo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Míriam Akasbi-Moltalvo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Virginia Pardo-Guimerá[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Pablo Ryan-Murua[SUP] 3 6 [/SUP], Carlos Lumbreras-Bermejo[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Oscar J Pellicer-Valero[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Rocco Giordano[SUP] 2 8 [/SUP], Lars Arendt-Nielsen[SUP] 2 9 10 [/SUP], Anabel Franco-Moreno[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 38747018
- DOI: 10.1002/jmv.29676
The SARS-CoV-2 VIrus PERsistence (VIPER) study investigated the presence of long-lasting SARS-CoV-2 RNA in plasma, stool, urine, and nasopharyngeal samples in COVID-19 survivors. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR) were analyzed within plasma, stool, urine, and nasopharyngeal swab samples in COVID-19 survivors with post-COVID symptoms and a comparison group of COVID-19 survivors without post-COVID symptoms matched by age, sex, body mass index and vaccination status. Participants self-reported the presence of any post-COVID symptom (defined as a symptom that started no later than 3 months after the initial infection). Fifty-seven (57.9% women, age: 51.1, standard deviation [SD]: 10.4 years) previously hospitalized COVID-19 survivors with post-COVID symptoms and 55 (56.4% women, age: 50.0, SD: 12.8 years) matched individuals who had a past SARS-CoV-2 infection without post-COVID symptoms were evaluated 27 (SD 7.5) and 26 (SD 8.7) months after hospital discharge, respectively. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was identified in three nasopharyngeal samples of patients with post-COVID symptoms (5.2%) but not in plasma, stool, or urine samples. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was not identified in any sample of survivors without post-COVID symptoms. The most prevalent post-COVID symptoms consisted of fatigue (93%), dyspnea, and pain (both, 87.7%). This study did not find SARS-CoV-2 RNA in plasma, stool, or urine samples, 2 years after the infection. A prevalence of 5.2% of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in nasopharyngeal samples, suggesting a potential active or recent reinfection, was found in patients with post-COVID symptoms. These results do not support the association between SARS-CoV-2 RNA in plasma, stool, urine, or nasopharyngeal swab samples and post-COVID symptomatology in the recruited population.
Keywords: RNA; long‐COVID; plasma; post‐COVID‐19; stool; urine; viral persistence.