Viral Shedding and Persistence of Anosmia and Ageusia in an Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Abstract

The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), first identified in the region of Wuhan, China is responsible for the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) that has been a part of our life for almost three years now. Although there have been multiple reports of prolonged viral shedding in people with severe disease, viral shedding lasting for extended periods can occur in patients with less serious clinical insults or even asymptomatic individuals. Herein, we report a case of a female patient that, although otherwise asymptomatic, remained positive on nasopharyngeal viral testing for a prolonged period, alongside persisting complaints of anosmia and ageusia. The patient may well have been one of the first individuals to be infected in the Greek territory; we followed up on her long-term COVID sequelae from the time of proof of infection up until the present day.

Keywords: ageusia; anosmia; covid-19; long-covid; sars-cov-2; smell loss; taste loss; viral shedding.

Figure 1. Main timestamps during the follow-up of the patient so far.

PCR: polymerase chain reaction.