September 29, 2020

Epidemiological Correlates of PCR Cycle Threshold Values in the Detection of SARS-CoV-2

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Testing and Treatment

Keywords (Tags): testing

• A study of household transmission from people with mild COVID-19 found that SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations were lowest soon after symptoms appeared and increased with time since symptom onset. Viral concentrations were higher in patients under 18 years of age (p=0.01) and those reporting upper respiratory symptoms at the time of sample collection (p=0.001), and were lower among participants without symptoms (p=0.05). The authors conclude that these findings support the importance of early testing for SARS-CoV-2 among people with respiratory symptoms to identify and isolate infected individuals while their viral shedding is high.

Salvatore et al. (Sept 28, 2020). Epidemiological Correlates of PCR Cycle Threshold Values in the Detection of SARS-CoV-2. Clinical Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa1469