Effect of Convalescent Plasma Therapy on Viral Shedding and Survival in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 222; no. 1; pp. 38 - 43
• Main Authors: Zeng, Qing-Lei, Yu, Zu-Jiang, Gou, Jian-Jun, Li, Guang-Ming, Ma, Shu-Huan, Zhang, Guo-Fan, Xu, Jiang-Hai, Lin, Wan-Bao, Cui, Guang-Lin, Zhang, Min-Min, Li, Cheng, Wang, Ze-Shuai, Zhang, Zhi-Hao, Liu, Zhang-Suo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: US Oxford University Press 16.06.2020
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Antibodies, Viral - therapeutic use; Betacoronavirus - genetics; Blood Donors; China; Coronaviridae; Coronavirus Infections - mortality; Coronavirus Infections - therapy; Coronavirus Infections - virology; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Critical Illness; Female; Humans; Immunization, Passive - adverse effects; Male; Middle Aged; Pandemics; Plasma; Pneumonia, Viral - mortality; Pneumonia, Viral - therapy; Pneumonia, Viral - virology; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Respiratory failure; Retrospective Studies; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA, Viral - genetics; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Survival Rate; Treatment Outcome; Virus Shedding - immunology; China; Fatality; Convalescent plasma therapy; Survival rate; Viral shedding; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa228

Abstract Currently, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been reported in almost all countries globally. No effective therapy has been documented for COVID-19, and the role of convalescent plasma therapy is unknown. In the current study, 6 patients with COVID-19 and respiratory failure received convalescent plasma a median of 21.5 days after viral shedding was first detected, all tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA within 3 days after infusion, and 5 eventually died. In conclusion, convalescent plasma treatment can end SARS-CoV-2 shedding but cannot reduce the mortality rate in critically ill patients with end-stage COVID-19, and treatment should be initiated earlier. Six patients with coronavirus 2019 disease and respiratory failure received convalescent plasma a median of 21.5 days after first detected viral shedding, all tested negative for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 within 3 days after infusion, and 5 eventually died.