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Dynamics of Viral Shedding and Symptoms in Patients with Asymptomatic or Mild COVID-19

Authors :
Yang Soo Kim
Joon Seo Lim
Man-Seong Park
Jiwon Jung
Heedo Park
Hyun Jung Lee
Ji-Soo Kwon
Sohyun Lee
So Yun Lim
Ho Young Lee
Yong Pil Chong
Min Jae Kim
Sung-Han Kim
Hye Hee Cha
Seongman Bae
Ji Yeun Kim
Mi Hyun Suh
Sang-Ho Choi
Sang-Oh Lee
Source :
Viruses, Volume 13, Issue 11, Viruses, Vol 13, Iss 2133, p 2133 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
MDPI, 2021.

Abstract

We conducted a prospective cohort study at a community facility designated for the isolation of individuals with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 between 10 January and 22 February 2021 to investigate the relationship of viral shedding with symptom changes of COVID-19. In total, 89 COVID-19 adult patients (12 asymptomatic, 16 presymptomatic, 61 symptomatic) were enrolled. Symptom scores, the genomic RNA and subgenomic RNA of SARS-CoV-2 from saliva samples with a cell culture were measured. Asymptomatic COVID-19 patients had a similar viral load to symptomatic patients during the early course of the disease, but exhibited a rapid decrease in viral load with the loss of infectivity. Subgenomic RNA and viable virus by cell culture in asymptomatic patients were detected only until 3 days after diagnosis, and the positivity of the subgenomic RNA and cell culture in symptomatic patients gradually decreased in both from 40% in the early disease course to 13% at 10 days and 4% at 8 days after the symptom onset, respectively. In conclusion, symptomatic patients have a high infectivity with high symptom scores during the early disease course and gradually lose infectivity depending on the symptom. Conversely, asymptomatic patients exhibit a rapid decrease in viral load with the loss of infectivity, despite a similar viral load during the early disease course.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
19994915
Volume :
13
Issue :
11
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Viruses
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....001760155e3299a6968ef1898cd633d5