RT Journal Article
T1 Excretion and viability of SARS-CoV-2 in feces and its association with the clinical outcome of COVID-19.
A1 Cerrada-Romero, Cristina
A1 Berastegui-Cabrera, Judith
A1 Camacho-Martinez, Pedro
A1 Goikoetxea-Aguirre, Josune
A1 Perez-Palacios, Patricia
A1 Santibañez, Sonia
A1 Jose Blanco-Vidal, Maria
A1 Valiente, Adoracion
A1 Alba, Jorge
A1 Rodriguez-Alvarez, Regino
A1 Pascual, Alvaro
A1 Oteo, Jose Antonio
A1 Cisneros, Jose Miguel
A1 Pachon, Jeronimo
A1 Casas-Flecha, Inmaculada
A1 Cordero, Elisa
A1 Pozo, Francisco
A1 Sanchez-Cespedes, Javier
K1 SARS-CoV-2
K1 Viral infection
AB The main objective was to evaluate the viability of the SARS-CoV-2 viral particles excreted in stools. In addition, we aimed to identify clinical factors associated with the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in feces, and to determine if its presence is associated with an unfavorable clinical outcome, defined as intensive care unit (ICU) admission and/or death. A prospective multicenter cohort study of COVID-19 adult patients, with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection by RT-PCR assay in nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs admitted to four hospitals in Spain, from March 2020 to February 2021. Sixty-two adult COVID-19 patients had stool samples collected at admission and/or during the follow up, with a total of 79 stool samples. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in stool samples from 27 (43.5%) out of the 62 patients. Replicative virus, measured by the generation of cytopathic effect in cell culture and subsequent RT-PCR confirmation of a decrease in the Ct values, was not found in any of these stool samples. Fecal virus excretion was not associated with the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms, or with differences in the evolution of COVID-19 patients. Our results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 replicative capacity is null or very limited in stool samples, and thus, the fecal-oral transmission of SARS-CoV-2 as an alternative infection route is highly unlikely. In our study, the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in feces at the beginning of the disease is not associated with any clinical factor nor with an unfavorable clinical outcome.
PB Nature Publishing Group
YR 2022
FD 2022-05-05
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10668/19602
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10668/19602
LA en
NO Cerrada-Romero C, Berastegui-Cabrera J, Camacho-Martínez P, Goikoetxea-Aguirre J, Pérez-Palacios P, Santibáñez S, et al. Excretion and viability of SARS-CoV-2 in feces and its association with the clinical outcome of COVID-19. Sci Rep. 2022 May 5;12(1):7397.
NO This work was supported by National Plan R+D+I 2013–2016 and Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa, Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness, Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases [REIPI RD16/0016/0009]; cofinanced by European Development Regional Fund “A way to achieve Europe”, Operative program Intelligent Growth 2014–2020; and supported by Grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Proyectos de Investigación sobre el SARS-CoV-2 y la enfermedad COVID-19 [COV20/00370; COV20/00580]. J.S.C. is a researcher belonging to the program “Nicolás Monardes” (C-0059-2018), Servicio Andaluz de Salud, Junta de Andalucía, Spain.
DS RISalud
RD Jul 29, 2025