Assessment of Fecal Viral Shedding Among Children Who Have COVID-19 by Polymerase Chain Reaction.

Objective: This study aimed to assess fecal viral shedding in children who have been confirmed COVID-19 by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Material and Methods: We enrolled fifty inpatient children who have been confirmed COVID-19 during first wave of outbreak in our region. All of the patients have been twice confirmed by RT-PCR within nasopharyngeal swabs. Each case was evaluated with clinical data, laboratory tests and rectal swabs. The rectal swabs were obtained five days after nasopharyngeal positivity. The clinical data was recorded within two basic categories, including common symptoms or digestive symptoms. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in rectal swabs was performed by RT-PCR method. Results: Fifteen patients (30%) had digestive symptoms. On the 5th day, 50 rectal swabs were studied with PCRRT. Only one of them was positive (2%). The only patient who was positive for SARS-CoV-2 on rectal swab was a symptomatic threeand-a-half-year-old girl. The patient, who became asymptomatic in the follow-up, was retested with a nasopharyngeal swab one week later, the result was negative and she was discharged on the 10th day. The second rectal smear of the patient was negative. Conclusion: We found very low rate (2%) fecal viral shedding with rectal swab PCR among children who have been confirmed COVID-19 by nasopharyngeal swab PCR. We thought that this result was due to the mild clinical course of the patients who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 we followed up. However, fecal oral transmission might still matter in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]