Isolation of SARS-CoV-2 in Viral Cell Culture in Immunocompromised Patients With Persistently Positive RT-PCR Results

Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2022 Feb 2:12:804175. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.804175. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Immunocompromised adults can have prolonged acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive RT-PCR results, long after the initial diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to determine if SARS-CoV-2 virus can be recovered in viral cell culture from immunocompromised adults with persistently positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR tests. We obtained 20 remnant SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive nasopharyngeal swabs from 20 immunocompromised adults with a positive RT-PCR test ≥14 days after the initial positive test. The patients' 2nd test samples underwent SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing, and culture with Vero-hACE2-TMPRSS2 cells. Viral RNA and cultivable virus were recovered from the cultured cells after qRT-PCR and plaque assays. Of 20 patients, 10 (50%) had a solid organ transplant and 5 (25%) had a hematologic malignancy. For most patients, RT-PCR Ct values increased over time. There were 2 patients with positive viral cell cultures; one patient had chronic lymphocytic leukemia treated with venetoclax and obinutuzumab who had a low viral titer of 27 PFU/mL. The second patient had marginal zone lymphoma treated with bendamustine and rituximab who had a high viral titer of 2 x 106 PFU/mL. Most samples collected ≥7 days after an initial positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR had negative viral cell cultures. The 2 patients with positive viral cell cultures had hematologic malignancies treated with chemotherapy and B cell depleting therapy. One patient had a high concentration titer of cultivable virus. Further data are needed to determine risk factors for persistent viral shedding and methods to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission from immunocompromised hosts.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; immunocompromised; laboratory medicine; obinutuzumab; rituximab; viral cell culture.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19*
  • Cell Culture Techniques
  • Humans
  • Immunocompromised Host
  • RNA, Viral / genetics
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • SARS-CoV-2*

Substances

  • RNA, Viral