Association of viral load with serum biomakers among COVID-19 cases

Abstract

Since SARS-CoV-2 spreads rapidly around the world, data have been needed on the natural fluctuation of viral load and clinical indicators associated with it. We measured and compared viral loads of SARS-CoV-2 from pharyngeal swab, IgM anti-SARS-CoV-2, CRP and SAA from serum of 114 COVID-19 patients on admission. Positive rates of IgM anti-SARS-CoV-2, CRP and SAA were 80.7%, 36% and 75.4% respectively. Among IgM-positive patients, viral loads showed different trends among cases with different severity, While viral loads of IgM-negative patients tended to increase along with the time after onset. As the worsening of severity, the positive rates of CRP and SAA also showed trends of increase. Different CRP/SAA type showed associations with viral loads in patients in different severity and different time after onset. Combination of the IgM and CRP/SAA with time after onset and severity may give suggestions on the viral load and condition judgment of COVID-19 patients.

Keywords: C-reactive protein; COVID-19; IgM; SARS-CoV-2; Serum amyloid a; Viral load.