April 12, 2021

Prevalence and Persistent Shedding of Fecal SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Patients With COVID-19 Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Clinical Characteristics and Health Care Setting

Keywords (Tags): clinical characteristics

• A systematic review and meta-analysis (n = 35 studies) found that the pooled prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in fecal samples from COVID-19 patients was 43%, and that a higher proportion of patients with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms (OR = 2.4) compared with no GI symptoms, specifically diarrhea (OR = 3.0), had detectable fecal RNA. SARS-CoV-2 RNA shedding in feces lasted longer than in respiratory samples (mean difference = 7.1 days).

Zhang et al. (Apr 2021). Prevalence and Persistent Shedding of Fecal SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Patients With COVID-19 Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology. https://doi.org/10.14309/ctg.0000000000000343