Evaluation of the consistency of RT-PCR test results in nasopharyngeal and fecal specimens in patients with Covid-19 disease with gastrointestinal symptoms

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Addition to respiratory manifestations, gastrointestinal symptoms have been observed in some patients with COVID-19. The aim of the present study was to investigate the simultaneous diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by RT-PCR in nasopharyngeal and fecal specimens of patients with covid-19 with gastrointestinal symptoms. In the present study, 100 patients with COVID-19 disease with gastrointestinal symptoms were included. Isolation of viral RNA in nasopharyngeal and fecal samples performed using specific laboratory kits. Detection of COVID-19 in clinical samples conducted using TaqMan-probe Real Time PCR method with specific primers and probes (Pishtaz Teb RT-PCR kit, Iran). PCR test results showed that in 21% of patients with positive nasopharyngeal test, SARS ‐ CoV ‐ 2 RNA was detected. As a result, the compatibility of PCR test in the diagnosis of Covid-19 virus between nasopharyngeal and fecal results was 21%. Keywords: Covid-19, nasopharyngeal, fecal specimens, RT-PCR