Presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections and Transmission in a Skilled Nursing Facility.
N Engl J Med
; 382(22): 2081-2090, 2020 05 28.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32329971
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can spread rapidly within skilled nursing facilities. After identification of a case of Covid-19 in a skilled nursing facility, we assessed transmission and evaluated the adequacy of symptom-based screening to identify infections in residents.METHODS:
We conducted two serial point-prevalence surveys, 1 week apart, in which assenting residents of the facility underwent nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal testing for SARS-CoV-2, including real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR), viral culture, and sequencing. Symptoms that had been present during the preceding 14 days were recorded. Asymptomatic residents who tested positive were reassessed 7 days later. Residents with SARS-CoV-2 infection were categorized as symptomatic with typical symptoms (fever, cough, or shortness of breath), symptomatic with only atypical symptoms, presymptomatic, or asymptomatic.RESULTS:
Twenty-three days after the first positive test result in a resident at this skilled nursing facility, 57 of 89 residents (64%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Among 76 residents who participated in point-prevalence surveys, 48 (63%) tested positive. Of these 48 residents, 27 (56%) were asymptomatic at the time of testing; 24 subsequently developed symptoms (median time to onset, 4 days). Samples from these 24 presymptomatic residents had a median rRT-PCR cycle threshold value of 23.1, and viable virus was recovered from 17 residents. As of April 3, of the 57 residents with SARS-CoV-2 infection, 11 had been hospitalized (3 in the intensive care unit) and 15 had died (mortality, 26%). Of the 34 residents whose specimens were sequenced, 27 (79%) had sequences that fit into two clusters with a difference of one nucleotide.CONCLUSIONS:
Rapid and widespread transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was demonstrated in this skilled nursing facility. More than half of residents with positive test results were asymptomatic at the time of testing and most likely contributed to transmission. Infection-control strategies focused solely on symptomatic residents were not sufficient to prevent transmission after SARS-CoV-2 introduction into this facility.
Texto completo:
1
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Neumonía Viral
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Instituciones de Cuidados Especializados de Enfermería
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Infecciones por Coronavirus
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Transmisión de Enfermedad Infecciosa
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Enfermedades Asintomáticas
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Betacoronavirus
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
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Etiology_studies
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Prevalence_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Aged
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Aged80
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Female
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Humans
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Male
País/Región como asunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
N Engl J Med
Año:
2020
Tipo del documento:
Article