Postmortem Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in Nasopharyngeal Mucosa

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 329 - 331
• Main Authors: Heinrich, Fabian, Meißner, Kira, Langenwalder, Felicia, Püschel, Klaus, Nörz, Dominik, Hoffmann, Armin, Lütgehetmann, Marc, Aepfelbacher, Martin, Bibiza-Freiwald, Eric, Pfefferle, Susanne, Heinemann, Axel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01.01.2021; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: 2019 novel coronavirus disease; Analysis; Cadaver; coronavirus disease; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - virology; Disease transmission; Expedited; Fatalities; Humans; Measurement; Nasopharynx - virology; Pandemics; Postmortem Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in Nasopharyngeal Mucosa; Research Letter; respiratory infections; Respiratory Mucosa - virology; RNA, Viral - isolation & purification; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 - isolation & purification; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Viremia; Germany; COVID-19; RNA stability; SARS-CoV-2; viruses; postmortem; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; coronavirus; zoonoses; 2019 novel coronavirus disease; coronavirus disease; infectivity; respiratory infections
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid2701.203112

Analyses of infection chains have demonstrated that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is highly transmissive. However, data on postmortem stability and infectivity are lacking. Our finding of nasopharyngeal viral RNA stability in 79 corpses showed no time-dependent decrease. Maintained infectivity is supported by virus isolation up to 35 hours postmortem.