Prolonged existence of SARS-CoV-2 RNAs in the extracellular vesicles of respiratory specimens from patients with negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction

• Published in: Liver research 2023-09, Vol.7 (3), p.228-236
• Main Authors: Subudhi, P. Debishree, Rooge, Sheetalnath, Bihari, Chhagan, Thangariyal, Swati, Goswami, Sivang, Agarwal, Reshu, Kaur, Savneet, Gupta, Ekta, Baweja, Sukriti
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chronic liver disease (CLD); Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Extracellular vesicles (EVs); Recurrence; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNAs
• ISSN: 2542-5684; 2542-5684
• DOI: 10.1016/j.livres.2023.09.004

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is primarily in the respiratory tract, particularly in patients with underlying comorbidities. This study aimed to investigate the presence of the virus inside the extracellular vesicles (EVs) in patients with and without chronic liver disease (CLD). Eighty patients with positive SARS-CoV-2, including twenty-four patients with CLD and fifty-six patients without CLD, and five healthy controls with negative SARS-CoV-2 were enrolled. Nasal swab specimens were tested for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were followed up on days 7 and 14. Nasal swab, collected in viral transport media (VTM), and plasma samples were investigated at each time point. EVs were isolated from the nasal swabs (collected in VTM) and plasma using differential ultracentrifugation and estimated at each time point. The transmission or replication by the EVs was assessed in Vero E6 cells. In patients with baseline RT-PCR positive, SARS-CoV-2 RNAs inside the EVs were found in 68/80 (85%) patients with higher viral load in the nasal swabs than in the EVs (cycle threshold (Ct) value, 23.4 ± 5.7 vs. 30.3 ± 5.0, P