Do children need a longer time to shed SARS-CoV-2 in stool than adults?

Xiang Ma; Liang Su; Yunkui Zhang; Xiuzhen Zhang; Zhongtao Gai; Zhongfa Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.jmii.2020.03.010

Do children need a longer time to shed SARS-CoV-2 in stool than adults?

J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2020 Jun;53(3):373-376. doi: 10.1016/j.jmii.2020.03.010. Epub 2020 Mar 19.

Authors

Xiang Ma¹, Liang Su², Yunkui Zhang³, Xiuzhen Zhang⁴, Zhongtao Gai⁵, Zhongfa Zhang⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Respiratory, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250022, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Infectious Diseases, Jinan Infectious Diseases Hospital, Jinan, Shandong, 250021, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ Department of Respiratory, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250022, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ Department of Infectious Diseases, Jinan Infectious Diseases Hospital, Jinan, Shandong, 250021, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ Department of Respiratory, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250022, China; Jinan Institute of Pediatrics, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250022, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ Department of Infectious Diseases, Jinan Infectious Diseases Hospital, Jinan, Shandong, 250021, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 can be shed in the stool of patients in the recovery phase. Children show a longer shedding time than adults. We analyzed the possible causes of this finding and recommend that a negative stool sample be included in a patient's discharge criteria.

MeSH terms

Adult
Betacoronavirus / isolation & purification*
COVID-19
Child
Child, Preschool
Coronavirus Infections / diagnosis
Coronavirus Infections / pathology
Feces / virology*
Female
Humans
Infant
Male
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral / diagnosis
Pneumonia, Viral / pathology
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
SARS-CoV-2
Time Factors