Positive Retrospective SARS-CoV-2 Testing in a Case of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome of Unknown Etiology

A Burkett; S McElwee; C Margaroli; P Bajpai; A Elkholy; U Manne; K Wille; P Benson

doi:10.1155/2021/5484239

Positive Retrospective SARS-CoV-2 Testing in a Case of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome of Unknown Etiology

Case Rep Pulmonol. 2021 Aug 28:2021:5484239. doi: 10.1155/2021/5484239. eCollection 2021.

Authors

A Burkett¹, S McElwee², C Margaroli³, P Bajpai¹, A Elkholy¹, U Manne¹, K Wille³, P Benson¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathology, Division of Anatomic Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
² Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Disease, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
³ Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.

Abstract

In order to elucidate the cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome of unknown etiology in a pre-pandemic patient, molecular techniques were used for detection of SARS-CoV-2. We used a SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein immunofluorescence stain to retrospectively identify an individual with diffuse alveolar damage on autopsy histology who had negative respiratory virus panel results in February, 2020, in Birmingham, Alabama. In situ hybridization for SARS-CoV-2 RNA revealed evidence of widespread multiorgan SARS-CoV-2 infection. This death antecedes the first reported death of a State of Alabama resident diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 by 26 days.

Publication types

Case Reports