ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Effective and precise SARS-CoV-2 detection assays are crucial for maintaining regular hospital routines and identifying infected hospital employees and infected patients before hospital admission. Inconclusive PCR test results of potentially infectious borderline SARS-CoV-2 patients can confuse clinicians and delay appropriate infection control. OBJECTIVES AND STUDY DESIGN: In this retrospective study, we followed up borderline SARS-CoV-2 patients who were tested (from the second sample with the same method) at the Clinical Department of Clinical Microbiology. We aimed to determine the positivity conversion ratio within 7 days after inconclusive PCR test results. RESULTS: Out of 247 borderline patients, who were resampled and retested in the same laboratory, 60 patients (29.4%) showed conversion of the borderline viral load (inconclusive RT-PCR test) to a positive RT-PCR test result. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight the need for retesting of borderline patients with inconclusive SARS-CoV-2 results. Follow-up testing of inconclusive PCR results within 7 days can identify additional positive results and reduce the potential risk of intrahospital transmission.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Humans , SARS-CoV-2/genetics , COVID-19/diagnosis , COVID-19/epidemiology , Retrospective Studies , COVID-19 Testing , LaboratoriesABSTRACT
Mounting evidence indicates that new arrhythmic events frequently occur during and after coronavirus disease (COVID-19), posing additional mortality risk in older-aged and critically ill patients. However, the underlying mechanisms and cardio pathological substrates of COVID-related arrhythmias have not been clarified yet. Here, we report findings of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antigens and genes in the atrioventricular node (AV-node) of a cardiac conduction system, pointing to its direct infection as a possible arrhythmogenic factor.
ABSTRACT
The clinical and laboratory findings of subacute thyroiditis have been repeatedly reported as being associated with acute Sars-Cov-2 infection and post-COVID-19 syndrome. The exact mechanisms and histopathological correlations underlying thyroid involvement remained unresolved, but current insights suggest either direct viral damage, systemic inflammatory reaction, or an autoimmune response as possible noxious effectors. Here we present findings of immunohistochemical/immunofluorescence detection of Sars-Cov-2 viral proteins (spike/S and nucleocapside proteins) in relation to histoarchitectonic changes of autoptic thyroid tissue obtained from patient who deceased from COVID-19.