RE: Collaboration of GDR with Cytiva20 Apr 2020 19:40
Stanman, in a previous text you mention about the viral loads on affected patients and that they were not yet quantified in clinical studies. However I found this on studies in China. It might be useful to your argument:
We analysed the serial viral load, antibody kinetics, and viral genome of patients with COVID-19 in Hong Kong. For most patients, the viral load of SARS-CoV-2 was very high at presentation and declined steadily. Despite development of antibodies against surface and internal proteins of SARS-CoV-2, viral RNA could still be detected in posterior oropharyngeal (deep throat) saliva samples from a third of patients for 20 days or longer. Peak viral load correlated positively with age. Most patients had an antibody response at 10 days or later after onset of symptoms. Viral whole-genome sequencing of paired samples from four patients did not identify any single nucleotide polymorphisms.
A high viral load on presentation of COVID-19 was recorded in our cohort, even for patients who were hospitalised shortly after symptom onset. Using nasal swab and throat swab, Zou and colleagues8 have also reported a high viral load shortly after symptom onset. However, in that study, only cycle threshold values (not exact viral loads) were reported, and no statistical or correlative analysis was done with clinical variables such as age, comorbidities, disease severity, and antibody response. The viral load profile of SARS-CoV-2 is similar to that of influenza, which peaks at around the time of symptom onset, but contrasts with that of SARS-CoV at around 10 days and that of MERS-CoV at the second week after symptom onset.4, 16, 17 The high viral load on presentation suggests that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted easily, even when symptoms are relatively mild. This finding could account for the efficient person-to-person transmission noted in community and health-care settings. Clusters in families, workplaces, religious gatherings, and food premises have been widely reported.18
Temporal profiles of viral load in posterior oropharyngeal saliva samples and serum antibody responses during infection by SARS-CoV-2: an observational cohort study
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