SARS-CoV-2 viral load and shedding kinetics

SARS-CoV-2 viral load and detection of infectious virus in the respiratory tract are the two key parameters for estimating infectiousness. As shedding of infectious virus is required for onward transmission, understanding shedding characteristics is relevant for public health interventions. Viral sh...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature reviews. Microbiology Vol. 21; no. 3; pp. 147 - 161
Main Authors: Puhach, Olha, Meyer, Benjamin, Eckerle, Isabella
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Nature Publishing Group 01.03.2023
Subjects:
COVID-19
Health promotion
Humans
Immunity
Kinetics
Pandemics
Parameter estimation
Public health
Respiratory tract
SARS-CoV-2 - genetics
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Vaccination
Viral diseases
Viral Load
Viruses
ISSN:1740-1526, 1740-1534, 1740-1534
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:SARS-CoV-2 viral load and detection of infectious virus in the respiratory tract are the two key parameters for estimating infectiousness. As shedding of infectious virus is required for onward transmission, understanding shedding characteristics is relevant for public health interventions. Viral shedding is influenced by biological characteristics of the virus, host factors and pre-existing immunity (previous infection or vaccination) of the infected individual. Although the process of human-to-human transmission is multifactorial, viral load substantially contributed to human-to-human transmission, with higher viral load posing a greater risk for onward transmission. Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern have further complicated the picture of virus shedding. As underlying immunity in the population through previous infection, vaccination or a combination of both has rapidly increased on a global scale after almost 3 years of the pandemic, viral shedding patterns have become more distinct from those of ancestral SARS-CoV-2. Understanding the factors and mechanisms that influence infectious virus shedding and the period during which individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 are contagious is crucial to guide public health measures and limit transmission. Furthermore, diagnostic tools to demonstrate the presence of infectious virus from routine diagnostic specimens are needed.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ObjectType-Review-3
content type line 23
ISSN:1740-1526
1740-1534
1740-1534
DOI:10.1038/s41579-022-00822-w