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Case Reports
. 2021 Feb:319:110653.
doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2020.110653. Epub 2020 Dec 9.

Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in post-mortem swab 35 days after death: A case report

Pasquale Beltempo  1 , Serena Maria Curti  2 , Renato Maserati  3 , Mirella Gherardi  4 , Maurizio Castelli  5
Affiliations
Case Reports

Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in post-mortem swab 35 days after death: A case report

Pasquale Beltempo et al. Forensic Sci Int. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Post-mortem swabs for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA detection have been recommended by several Scientific Committees and Institutions as a standard procedure for post-mortem assessment of potential Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) related deaths. To date there is no data about the SARS-CoV-2 RNA detectability period in human bodies after death. The present case documents the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the upper respiratory tract 35-days after death. Post-mortem swabs could be used as a valuable tool in preventive evaluation of the risks-benefits ratio associated with autopsy execution. SARS-CoV-2 RNA post-mortem detection could have a key diagnostic role in deaths lacking medical assistance, unattended deaths, and patients with multiple comorbidities. Based on the present report, staged post-mortem swabs should be performed even after a long post-mortem interval.

Keywords: Autopsy; Biosafety; COVID-19; Post-mortem diagnosis; Post-mortem swab; SARS-CoV-2.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Chest Radiograph at Hospital admission.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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