Respiratory failure & ventilation
SARS-CoV-2 Viral Replication Persists in the Human Lung for Several Weeks after Symptom Onset
Authors' conclusion
Concurrent rather than sequential active viral replication continues to drive a heightened proinflammatory response in the human lung beyond the second week of illness and was associated with variant-specific increased mortality and morbidity.
Study context
- Population
- Mechanically ventilated coronavirus disease (COVID-19) decedents, Beta and Delta waves
- Participants
- 42 vs 18
- Exposure
- Decedents vs Ambulatory
- Decedentsn = 42
- Ambulatoryn = 18reference
- Outcome
- Lung viral culture positivity
Methodological detailspostmortem lung needle biopsy, independent control group
- Postmortem lung needle biopsy
- Independent control group
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Decedents
38%
16 of 42
- Median duration of culturable virus in lung after symptom onset (up to 4 wk)
- 15 days
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
- Nasopharyngeal culture negative despite lung culture positivity — Decedents
- 23.1%
- Nasopharyngeal culture negative despite lung culture positivity: of 26 decedents
Association of lung culture positivity with comorbidities or steroid use
- Not associated with comorbidities or steroid use
Accelerated death and secondary bacterial infection, by variant
- Delta but not Beta lung culture positivity associated with accelerated death and secondary bacterial infection
- P < 0.05
Pulmonary transcriptomic proinflammatory response
- Lung-specific persisting viral replication associated with enhanced proinflammatory response
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →