Prevalence, Patterns, and Predictors of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and Culturable Virus in Tears of a Case-Ascertained Household Cohort.
Am J Ophthalmol
; 265: 48-53, 2024 Sep.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38663502
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
To investigate the prevalence, patterns, and predictors of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and culturable virus in tears of a case-ascertained household cohort.DESIGN:
Prospective, longitudinal case-ascertained household cohort identified through convenience sampling.METHODS:
This analysis was restricted to individuals who were non-hospitalized, symptomatic, and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by nasal RT-PCR. Tears and anterior nasal biospecimens were serially collected throughout the acute period. Tears specimens were collected by the study staff using Schirmer test strips, and nasal specimens were self-collected. For both, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was quantified using qRT-PCR, and culturable virus was detected using presence of cytopathic effect (CPE) in tissue culture; positive CPE was confirmed by a qRT-PCR step. A series of cross-sectional unadjusted analyses were performed investigating the relationship between different sociodemographic determinants and biological factors associated with tears RNA positivity.RESULTS:
Among the 83 SARS-CoV-2 infected participants, 10 (12%) had at least one RNA-positive tears specimen. Amongst these 10, 5 (50%) had concurrent presence of culturable virus, at a median of 7 days postsymptom onset (IQR 4-7 days) (absolute range 4-8 days).CONCLUSIONS:
In this longitudinal cohort, we found evidence of culturable virus in the tears of a small proportion of nonhospitalized SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals. Current public health infection precautions do not account for transmission via tears, so these findings may improve our understanding of potential sources of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and contribute to developing future guidelines.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Lágrimas
/
RNA Viral
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SARS-CoV-2
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COVID-19
Limite:
Adult
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Aged
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Am J Ophthalmol
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article