Presence of SARS-CoV-2 in Stool of COVID-19 Cases

Assessing the potential transmission of COVID?19 through stool to better understand and prevent the spread in Wisconsin

Full Project Name:Presence of SARS-CoV-2 in Stool of COVID-19 Cases: Potential for transmission via stool sheddingPrincipal Investigator:Andres Yarur, MD, MedicineCo-Investigator:Silvia Munoz-Price, MD, PhD, Medicine/Infectious Disease; Nathan Ledeboer, PhD, MicrobiologyAward Amount:$144,171

Award Date

April2020

Project Duration:15 months

Project Description Narrative:

Transmission of COVID-19 is thought to occur mainly via respiratory droplets, however, there is emerging evidence that the virus can be found in feces. Moreover, there is data supporting the fact that viral shedding of SARS-CoV-2 can last for days after the patient recovers from other symptoms.

Understanding if and how the virus is present in feces would be critical to accurately determining the duration of quarantine and contact precautions in the hospital and community settings. This information could also lead to new ways of testing for COVID-19, especially since the nasopharyngeal test is not highly sensitive.

This project aims to assess whether COVID-19 patients could potentially be transmitting the disease via stool to better understand and prevent the spread of the disease, through collection of serial stool samples for analysis of viral load.

Outcomes & Lessons Learned:

Established study protocols, including collection and receipt of samples and recruitment of participants, establishing a reliable, safe, and successful structure to perform research in patients with COVID-19
Recruited 80 patients to participate in sample collection for data analysis
Began preliminary data analysis to better understand the presence of and ways to prevent the spread of the virus
Developed a reliable, safe, and successful structure to perform research with patients with COVID-19