title: Using patient-collected clinical samples and sera to detect and quantify the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) caused a large outbreak of pneumonia in Beijing, China, in 2003. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect and quantify SARS-CoV in 934 sera and self-collected throat washes and fecal samples from 271 patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS managed at a single institution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SARS-CoV detection rates in sera were highest in the first 9 days of illness, whereas detection was highest in throat washes 5-14 days after onset of symptoms. The highest SARS-CoV RT-PCR rates (70.4-86.3%) and viral loads (log10 4.5-6.1) were seen in fecal samples collected 2-4 weeks after the onset of clinical illness. Fecal samples were frequently SARS-CoV RT-PCR positive beyond 40 days, and occasional sera still had SARS-CoV detected after 3 weeks of illness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the context of an extensive outbreak with major pressure on hospital resources, patient self-collected samples are an alternative to nasopharyngeal aspirates for laboratory confirmation of SARS-CoV infection.
authors: Beijing Ditan Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China. zhongpinghe@yahoo.com
authors: Zhongping
authors: Z
authors: He
authors: Hui
authors: H
authors: Zhuang
authors: Chunhui
authors: C
authors: Zhao
authors: Qingming
authors: Q
authors: Dong
authors: Guoai
authors: G
authors: Peng
authors: Dominic E
authors: DE
authors: Dwyer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010614:Pharynx / Q000821:virology*; D011024:Pneumonia, Viral / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D044967:Serum / Q000821:virology*; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral