<scp>SARS‐CoV</scp> ‐2 asymptomatic and symptomatic patients and risk for transfusion transmission
Victor M. Corman, Holger F. Rabenau, Ortwin Adams, Doris Oberle, Markus B. Funk, Brigitte Keller‐Stanislawski, Jörg Timm, Christian Drosten, Sandra Ciesek
Abstract
Oral swabs, sputum, and blood samples from 18 asymptomatic and symptomatic patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection were examined using RT-PCR testing in order to assess the risk of transfusion-related transmission. In asymptomatic patients as well as patients with flu-like symptoms and fever, no SARS-CoV-2 RNA could be detected in the blood or serum despite a clearly positive result in all throat swabs. As patients with symptoms of infectious disease will not be admitted to blood donation, the risk for transfusion transmission of SARS-CoV-2 seems to be negligible.
Topics & Concepts
AsymptomaticMedicineSputumTransmission (telecommunications)Blood transfusionSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Internal medicineDiseaseCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)ImmunologyInfectious disease (medical specialty)PathologyTuberculosisEngineeringElectrical engineeringCOVID-19 Clinical Research StudiesBlood groups and transfusionSARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research