Clinical symptoms and faecal shedding of SARS-CoV-2 RNA among hospitalized COVID-19 patients: Implication for transmission

• Published in: PLOS global public health 2024, Vol.4 (8), p.e0003571
• Main Authors: Bamidele, Rebecca Folasade, Fowotade, Adeola, Bakare, Rasheed, Bamidele, Olufunso Opeyemi, Omoruyi, Chukwuma Ewean, Oladunni, Amos Abimbola, Alonge, Temitope
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biology and life sciences; Medicine and health sciences; Social Sciences
• ISSN: 2767-3375; 2767-3375
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0003571

SARS-CoV-2 shedding in human stool has been suggested as a probable route for faeco-oral transmission of the virus due to the availing evidence on the infectivity and pathogenicity of similar highly infectious respiratory viruses. Determining association of SARS-CoV-2 shedding in stools and presenting clinical status might be useful for prediction of the viral transmission spectrum and disease outcome. This study involved a descriptive cross-sectional survey of 91 consenting hospitalized, confirmed COVID-19 patients in Infectious Disease Isolation Centre, Oyo State, Nigeria. Socio-demographic characteristics and other ancillary data were collected from patient's hospital records with the aid of a structured investigator administered questionnaire. The laboratory detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the stool of patients was performed using RT-PCR method. 27 (29.7%) of the 91 COVID-19 patients shed SARS-CoV-2 in their stools. The frequency of male (38.3%) patients shedding the virus in stools was higher than female (12.9%) patients (P = 0.012). Higher proportion of patients who had symptoms (41.2%) at admission shed the virus in their stool (P