Acuña-Castillo Claudio, Vidal Mabel, Vallejos-Vidal Eva, Luraschi Roberto, Barrera-Avalos Carlos, Inostroza-Molina Ailen, Molina-Cabrera Sonia, Valdes Daniel, Schafer Carolina, Maisey Kevin, Imarai Mónica, Vera Rodrigo, Vargas Sergio, Rojo Leonel E, Leiva-Salcedo Elías, Escobar Alejandro, Reyes-Cerpa Sebastián, Gaete Alexis, Palma-Vejares Ricardo, Travisany Dante, Torres Claudio, Reyes-López Felipe E, Sandino Ana María
Centro de Biotecnología Acuícola, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Heliyon. 2024 Jan 18;10(7):e24419. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24419. eCollection 2024 Apr 15.
As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, infections continue to surge globally. Presently, the most effective strategies to curb the disease and prevent outbreaks involve fostering immunity, promptly identifying positive cases, and ensuring their timely isolation. Notably, there are instances where the SARS-CoV-2 virus remains infectious even after patients have completed their quarantine.
Understanding viral persistence post-quarantine is crucial as it could account for localized infection outbreaks. Therefore, studying and documenting such instances is vital for shaping future public health policies.
This study delves into a unique case of SARS-CoV-2 persistence in a 60-year-old female healthcare worker with a medical history of hypertension and hypothyroidism. The research spans 55 days, marking the duration between her initial and subsequent diagnosis during Chile's first COVID-19 wave, with the analysis conducted using RT-qPCR.
Genomic sequencing-based phylogenetic analysis revealed that the SARS-CoV-2 detected in both Nasopharyngeal swab samples (NPSs) was consistent with the 20B clade of the Nextstrain classification, even after a 55-day interval.
This research underscores the need for heightened vigilance concerning cases of viral persistence. Such instances, albeit rare, might be pivotal in understanding sporadic infection outbreaks that occur post-quarantine.
随着新冠疫情持续，全球感染人数仍在激增。目前，遏制该疾病和预防疫情爆发的最有效策略包括增强免疫力、及时识别阳性病例并确保其及时隔离。值得注意的是，在某些情况下，即使患者已完成隔离，新冠病毒仍具传染性。
了解隔离后病毒的持续存在情况至关重要，因为这可能是局部感染爆发的原因。因此，研究和记录此类情况对于制定未来的公共卫生政策至关重要。
本研究深入探讨了一名60岁女性医护人员身上新冠病毒持续存在的独特病例，该医护人员有高血压和甲状腺功能减退病史。研究跨度为55天，这是智利第一波新冠疫情期间她首次诊断与后续诊断之间的时长，分析采用逆转录定量聚合酶链反应（RT-qPCR）进行。
基于基因组测序的系统发育分析显示，即使间隔55天，在两份鼻咽拭子样本（NPS）中检测到的新冠病毒与Nextstrain分类的20B分支一致。
本研究强调了对病毒持续存在病例需提高警惕。此类情况虽罕见，但可能对理解隔离后发生的散发性感染爆发至关重要。
