S.C. Medicina Legale, Azienda USL Valle d'Aosta, Località Amerique 7/L, 11020, Quart (AO), Italy.
Dipartimento Scienze mediche e malattie infettive, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico "San Matteo", Piazzale Golgi 19, 27100, Pavia (PV), Italy.
Forensic Sci Int. 2021 Feb;319:110653. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2020.110653. Epub 2020 Dec 9.
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.
死后拭子用于检测严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）RNA，这已被多个科学委员会和机构推荐为对潜在的 2019 冠状病毒病（COVID-19）相关死亡进行死后评估的标准程序。迄今为止，尚无关于人类死亡后体内 SARS-CoV-2 RNA 可检测性持续时间的数据。本案例记录了死后 35 天，上呼吸道中仍存在 SARS-CoV-2 RNA。死后拭子可作为评估与尸检相关的风险-效益比的有用工具。在缺乏医疗援助、无人看管的死亡以及患有多种合并症的患者中，SARS-CoV-2 RNA 的死后检测可能具有关键的诊断作用。基于本报告，即使在较长的死后间隔后，也应进行分期死后拭子检测。
