Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Is Detected in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Asymptomatic Endoscopy Patients but Is Unlikely to Pose a Significant Risk to Healthcare Personnel.
Gastro Hep Adv
; 1(5): 844-852, 2022.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35765598
ABSTRACT
Background and Aims:
Recent evidence suggests that the gut is an additional target for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, whether SARS-CoV-2 spreads via gastrointestinal secretions remains unclear. To determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal SARS-CoV-2 infection in asymptomatic subjects, we analyzed gastrointestinal biopsy and liquid samples from endoscopy patients for the presence of SARS-CoV-2.Methods:
We enrolled 100 endoscopic patients without known SARS-CoV-2 infection (cohort A) and 12 patients with a previous COVID-19 diagnosis (cohort B) in a cohort study performed at a regional hospital. Gastrointestinal biopsies and fluids were screened for SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemistry, and virus isolation assay, and the stability of SARS-CoV-2 in gastrointestinal liquids in vitro was analyzed.Results:
SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid was detected by PCR in the colonic tissue of 1/100 patients in cohort A. In cohort B, 3 colonic liquid samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR and viral nucleocapsid protein was detected in the epithelium of the respective biopsy samples. However, no infectious virions were recovered from any samples. In vitro exposure of SARS-CoV-2 to colonic liquid led to a 4-log-fold reduction of infectious SARS-CoV-2 within 1 hour (P ≤ .05).Conclusion:
Overall, the persistent detection of SARS-CoV-2 in endoscopy samples after resolution of COVID-19 points to the gut as a long-term reservoir for SARS-CoV-2. Since no infectious virions were recovered and SARS-CoV-2 was rapidly inactivated in the presence of colon liquids, it is unlikely that performing endoscopic procedures is associated with a significant infection risk due to undiagnosed asymptomatic or persistent gastrointestinal SARS-CoV-2 infections.
COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; Colonic Liquid; E gene, envelope gene; Endoscopy; GI, gastrointestinal; N gene, nucleocapsid gene; NP, nucleocapsid protein; PFU, plaque-forming units; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Transmission Risk; qRT-PCR, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Language:
En
Journal:
Gastro Hep Adv
Year:
2022
Type:
Article