Lack of evidence of viability and infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in the fecal specimens of COVID-19 patients

Madhuri Joshi; Sreelekshmy Mohandas; Sharda Prasad; Manohar Shinde; Nutan Chavan; Pragya D Yadav; Mallika Lavania

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.1030249

Lack of evidence of viability and infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in the fecal specimens of COVID-19 patients

Front Public Health. 2022 Oct 20:10:1030249. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1030249. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Madhuri Joshi¹, Sreelekshmy Mohandas², Sharda Prasad³, Manohar Shinde¹, Nutan Chavan¹, Pragya D Yadav², Mallika Lavania¹

Affiliations

¹ Enteric Viruses Group, ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune, India.
² Microbial Containment Laboratory, ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune, India.
³ Electron Microscopy and Histopathology Group, ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune, India.

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 can be shed in feces and can enter sewage systems. In order to implement effective control measures and identify new channels of transmission, it is essential to identify the presence of infectious virus particles in feces and sewage. In this study, we attempt to utilize Molecular techniques, cell cultures and animal models to find out the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in the feces of COVID-19 patients. Our findings exclude the presence of infectious virus particles, suggesting that fecal-oral transmission may not be the main mode of transmission. Larger-scale initiatives are nevertheless required, particularly considering the emergence of new viral strains.

Keywords: COVID-19; NGS; Real time RT-PCR; SARS-CoV-2; TEM; fecal.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Feces
Humans
RNA, Viral
SARS-CoV-2*
Sewage

Substances

Sewage
RNA, Viral