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

Anal swab findings in an infant with COVID-19

Qihong Fan  1 , Yan Pan  1 , Qingcui Wu  1 , Shan Liu  1 , Xu Song  1 , Zhongguo Xie  1 , Yang Liu  1 , Liang Zhao  1 , Zhonghong Wang  1 , Yifei Zhang  1 , Zuchuang Wu  1 , Lei Guan  1 , Xiaolong Lv  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Anal swab findings in an infant with COVID-19

Qihong Fan et al. Pediatr Investig. 2020 Mar.

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.

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Conflict of interest statement

None to declare.

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