Epidemiological approximation of the enteric manifestation and possible fecal-oral transmission in COVID-19: a preliminary systematic review.

ABSTRACT

The recent appearance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has led to the publication of the first evidence on gastrointestinal symptoms (GIS), the possible enteric involvement of the virus and the detection of RNA in stool, with its possible implication in the fecal-oral transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to conduct a systematic review to describe the epidemiological scientific evidence on GIS, enteric involvement and fecal excretion of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA and to discuss the possible fecal-oral transmission pathway of COVID-19.