Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

March 9, 2021

Infection Sustained by Lineage B.1.1.7 of SARS-CoV-2 Is Characterised by Longer Persistence and Higher Viral RNA Loads in Nasopharyngeal Swabs

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  • Individuals infected with the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant may have higher viral loads and longer viral shedding duration, according to a surveillance study in Italy. 313 individuals with sequencing-confirmed B.1.1.7 infection had lower median cycle thresholds of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein (indicating higher viral loads) compared to individuals without B.1.1.7 infection (15.8 vs 16.9). Among those with negative PCR results, the median duration of RNA positivity was longer in the B.1.1.7-infected group (16 vs. 14 days).

Calistri et al. (Mar 5, 2021). Infection Sustained by Lineage B.1.1.7 of SARS-CoV-2 Is Characterised by Longer Persistence and Higher Viral RNA Loads in Nasopharyngeal Swabs. International Journal of Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2021.03.005