Abstract
Abstract Aim We compared the clinical characteristics of patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive and negative anal swabs during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recovery and investigated the clinical significance and influence factors of anal swab detection. Methods This study retrospectively analyzed 23 moderate COVID-19 patients in the recovery phase. They were divided into anal swab positive group (n = 13) (negative for pharyngeal swabs but positive for anal swabs) and anal swab negative group (n = 10) (negative for pharyngeal and anal swabs). The epidemiology, clinical symptoms, time of pharyngeal swabs turning negative, and laboratory results were compared. Results The time of pharyngeal swabs turning negative in the anal swab positive group was 6 (5–8.5) days, significantly longer than that in the anal swab negative group (1 (1–4.25) days), P = 0.0002). The platelet count of the anal swab positive group was significantly lower than that of the anal swab negative group (198 (135–235) × 109/L vs 240.5 (227–264.75) × 109/L, P = 0.0248). No significant difference was observed between the two groups in other variables. Conclusions The time of pharyngeal swab turning negative in anal swab positive patients is longer than that in anal swab negative patients. The platelet count can be used as an indicator for viral infection evaluation. For patients with a longer time of pharyngeal swabs turning negative, the combined testing of the anal swab and platelet counts may help to avoid pharyngeal swab false negatives, premature discharge, and the possibility of fecal-oral transmission.
Highlights
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19), was first found in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019 [1]
These studies suggest the possibility of fecal-oral transmission of COVID-19, and that detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be performed in anal swabs
Patients’ basic information, epidemiological history, clinical symptoms (including medical history, comorbidities, physical signs, gastrointestinal symptoms, etc.), time of pharyngeal swab nucleic acid turning negative, as well as results of laboratory tests, including white blood cell (WBC), neutrophils percentage (NEUT%), lymphocyte percentage (LYMPH%), lymphocyte absolute value (LYMPH #), platelet count (PLT), D-dimer, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), activation partial thrombin time (APTT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and days of chest CT absorption greater than 50%, were obtained from the electronic medical records
Summary
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19), was first found in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019 [1]. It is highly contagious and currently circulating worldwide. SARS-CoV-2 RNA fragments can still be detected in the feces of a small number of people after 30 days of infection [8]. These studies suggest the possibility of fecal-oral transmission of COVID-19, and that detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be performed in anal swabs
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
