Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in an Oropharyngeal Swab Specimen, Milan, Italy, Early December 2019

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 27; no. 2; pp. 648 - 650
• Main Authors: Amendola, Antonella, Bianchi, Silvia, Gori, Maria, Colzani, Daniela, Canuti, Marta, Borghi, Elisa, Raviglione, Mario C, Zuccotti, Gian Vincenzo, Tanzi, Elisabetta
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01.02.2021; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Child, Preschool; coronavirus disease; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - diagnosis; COVID-19 - virology; COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing; Disease transmission; Epidemics; Epidemiology; Humans; Infectious diseases; Italy; Laboratories; Male; Measles; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Methods; Oropharynx - virology; Pandemics; Patients; Phylogenetics; Research Letter; respiratory infections; RNA, Viral - analysis; Rubella; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 - genetics; Sentinel health events; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Skin Diseases, Infectious - diagnosis; Skin Diseases, Infectious - virology; Surveillance; Viral infections; viruses; Italy; Europe; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; viruses; Milan; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; SARS-CoV-2 RNA; oropharyngeal swab; skin manifestations; Italy; zoonoses; coronavirus disease; respiratory infections
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid2702.204632

We identified severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA in an oropharyngeal swab specimen collected from a child with suspected measles in early December 2019, ≈3 months before the first identified coronavirus disease case in Italy. This finding expands our knowledge on timing and mapping of novel coronavirus transmission pathways.