New Delhi (NVI): The COVID-19 patients, for the first time, have active and prolonged gut infection, even after the absence of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, according to a new study.
The researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) found that the coronavirus may continue to infect and replicate in the digestive tract after clearing in the airways and stool tests could be more safe, accurate than nose swabs in detecting the virus.
However, the findings, published in the medical journal GUT, have implications for identifying and treating cases, the researchers said in a statement
According to the World Health Organization, the virus spreads mainly through respiratory droplets — spatters of virus-laden discharge from the mouth and nose
Since the first weeks of the pandemic, scientists in China have said infectious virus in the stool of patients may also play a role in transmission.
Earlier, studies have found that COVID-19 was detectable in the stool samples of all patients, regardless of the degree of illness.
The researchers from university undertook screening of more than 128 stool samples at Hong Kong airport arrivals that revealed six children with confirmed COVID-19 infection and a detection rate of 0.28 per cent.
They believed that stool screening test can help identify asymptomatic people carrying the COVID-19 virus as early as possible in order to stop its spread in the community, especially in infants and children who have difficulty undergoing the nasal or throat swab tests.
Siew Chien Ng, associate director of the university’s Centre for Gut Microbiota Research, in the statement said, “The finding highlights the importance of long-term coronavirus and health surveillance and the threat of potential fecal-oral viral transmissions.”
The treatments that modulate the composition and functionality of the gut microbiome should be explored, Chien said, adding that, the gut bacteria of patients who were particularly infectious showed a loss of protective microbes and a proliferation of disease-causing ones.
At least 2,000 COVID-19 tests will be done per daily as part of targeted detection of asymptomatic people beginning from September 7.
“More than one patient tested positive even though their respiratory samples were negative,” said Francis KL Chan, the university’s dean of medicine and director of the Centre for Gut Microbiota Research.
“Stool test is accurate and safe, making it suitable and more effective for COVID-19 screening for specific groups of people.” Chan said in the statement. He added that some regulators including the US Food and Drug Administration have reached out about stool tests.
-RJV
