Anal swab findings in an infant with COVID-19

Qihong Fan; Yan Pan; Qingcui Wu; Shan Liu; Xu Song; Zhongguo Xie; Yang Liu; Liang Zhao; Zhonghong Wang; Yifei Zhang; Zuchuang Wu; Lei Guan; Xiaolong Lv

doi:10.1002/ped4.12186

Anal swab findings in an infant with COVID-19

Pediatr Investig. 2020 Mar;4(1):48-50. doi: 10.1002/ped4.12186. Epub 2020 Mar 17.

Authors

Qihong Fan¹, Yan Pan¹, Qingcui Wu¹, Shan Liu¹, Xu Song¹, Zhongguo Xie¹, Yang Liu¹, Liang Zhao¹, Zhonghong Wang¹, Yifei Zhang¹, Zuchuang Wu¹, Lei Guan¹, Xiaolong Lv¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Pediatrics the First Affiliated Hospital of Yangtze University Jingzhou Hubei province China.

Abstract

Introduction: The transmission pathways of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remain not completely clear. In this case study the test for the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in pharyngeal swab and anal swab were compared.

Case presentation: A 3-month-old girl was admitted to our hospital with COVID-19. Her parents had both been diagnosed with COVID-19. The results of pharyngeal swab and anal swab of the little girl were recorded and compared during the course of the disease. The oropharyngeal specimen showed negative result for SARS-CoV-2 on the 14th day after onset of the illness. However, the anal swab was still positive for SARS-CoV-2 on the 28th day after the onset of the illness.

Conclusion: The possibility of fecal-oral transmission of COVID-19 should be assessed. Personal hygiene during home quarantine merits considerable attention.

Keywords: Anal swab; COVID‐19; Fecal‐oral transmission; SARS‐CoV‐2.

Publication types

Case Reports