This abstract is assigned to sessions
| Presentation preference | Poster presentation |
| Title | SARS-CoV-2 in conjunctival swabs: Possibility of a delayed or a prolonged shedding on ocular surface than in nasopharyngeal secretions |
| Purpose | The detection rate of SARS-CoV-2 in conjunctival swabs of COVID-19 patients is variable, and its viral RNA load is unknown compared to nasopharyngeal swabs.
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| Methods | Conjunctival swabs of COVID-19 patients (with PCR-positive nasopharyngeal swabs) were subjected to quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The cycle threshold (Ct) values of Open Reading Frame 1 (ORF 1 Ab gene) and nucleoprotein (N gene) PCRs were used to assess the viral RNA load. |
| Results | : Of 93 patients, 17 (18.27%) demonstrated SARS-CoV-2 RNA in conjunctival swabs. Baseline nasopharyngeal swabs (data available in 79 patients) were collected at a median of 2 days, followed by conjunctival swab collection (93 patients) at median 7 days, from onset of illness (p < 0.001). In ‘conjunctival swab positive’ patients, the Ct values (ORF or N gene PCRs) were comparable between baseline nasopharyngeal and conjunctival swabs, despite a significant delay in conjunctival swab collection compared to nasopharyngeal swab collection. |
| Conclusion | The conjunctival swabs demonstrated SARS-CoV-2 RNA in 17 (18.27%) of 93 COVID-19 patients. In four of these 17 patients during the recovery period, when the second nasopharyngeal swab was ‘negative’, the conjunctival swab was ‘positive’. Our results may suggest a delayed or a prolonged shedding of the virus/viral RNA on the ocular surface than in nasopharyngeal mucosa. |
| Conflict of interest | No |
Authors 1
| Last name | BANSAL |
| Initials of first name(s) | R |
| Department | Ophthalmology, PGIMER |
| City | Chandigarh |
| Country | India |
Authors 2
| Last name | Bora |
| Initials of first name(s) | I |
| Department | Virology, PGIMER |
| City | Chandigarh |
| Country | India |
Authors 3
| Last name | Kanta |
| Initials of first name(s) | P |
| Department | Virology, PGIMER |
| City | Chandigarh |
| Country | India |
Authors 4
| Last name | Singh |
| Initials of first name(s) | M P |
| Department | Virology, PGIMER |
| City | Chandigarh |
| Country | India |
Authors 5
| Last name | Bhalla |
| Initials of first name(s) | A |
| Department | Medicine, PGIMER |
| City | Chandigarh |
| Country | India |
Authors 6
| Last name | Gupta |
| Initials of first name(s) | V |
| Department | Ophthalmology, PGIMER |
| City | Chandigarh |
| Country | India |
