tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Med Case Rep
. 2022 Feb 9;16(1):72.
doi: 10.1186/s13256-022-03297-8.
Long persistence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 swab positivity in a drowned corpse: a case report
Martina Bonelli[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Enrica Rosato[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marcello Locatelli[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Angela Tartaglia[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Pietro Falco[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Claudia Petrarca[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Francesca Potenza[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Verena Damiani[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Domitilla Mandatori[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Vincenzo De Laurenzi[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Liborio Stuppia[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Cristian D'Ovidio[SUP] 6 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Since the beginning of the worldwide spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 to date, important knowledge has been obtained about the virus behavior in living subjects and on inanimate surfaces; however, there is still a lack of data on virus persistency on dead bodies and the risk of contagion from cadavers.
Case presentation: The present case shows the persistency of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 viral genome in nasopharyngeal swabs performed on a drowned Caucasian man, aged 41 years old, who was completely asymptomatic when he was alive, up to 41 days after death. Specific real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (TaqMan 2019-nCoV Assay Kit v2; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Italy and Realquality RQ-SARS-CoV-2, AB Analytical) was used to evaluate the swabs.
Conclusions: This data reflect the importance of postmortem swabs in all autopsy cases, and not only in potential severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-related death, and also highlight the necessity to evaluate virus positivity a long time after the moment of death, even if a low initial viral load was assessed.
Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 on drowned cadaver; Postmortem positivity; Postmortem swab; SARS-CoV-2.
. 2022 Feb 9;16(1):72.
doi: 10.1186/s13256-022-03297-8.
Long persistence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 swab positivity in a drowned corpse: a case report
Martina Bonelli[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Enrica Rosato[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marcello Locatelli[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Angela Tartaglia[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Pietro Falco[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Claudia Petrarca[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Francesca Potenza[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Verena Damiani[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Domitilla Mandatori[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Vincenzo De Laurenzi[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Liborio Stuppia[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Cristian D'Ovidio[SUP] 6 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35139890
- DOI: 10.1186/s13256-022-03297-8
Abstract
Background: Since the beginning of the worldwide spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 to date, important knowledge has been obtained about the virus behavior in living subjects and on inanimate surfaces; however, there is still a lack of data on virus persistency on dead bodies and the risk of contagion from cadavers.
Case presentation: The present case shows the persistency of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 viral genome in nasopharyngeal swabs performed on a drowned Caucasian man, aged 41 years old, who was completely asymptomatic when he was alive, up to 41 days after death. Specific real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (TaqMan 2019-nCoV Assay Kit v2; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Italy and Realquality RQ-SARS-CoV-2, AB Analytical) was used to evaluate the swabs.
Conclusions: This data reflect the importance of postmortem swabs in all autopsy cases, and not only in potential severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-related death, and also highlight the necessity to evaluate virus positivity a long time after the moment of death, even if a low initial viral load was assessed.
Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 on drowned cadaver; Postmortem positivity; Postmortem swab; SARS-CoV-2.