Retrospective detection reveals absence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in human
throat swab samples collected during Jan-May 2019 in the influenza
epidemic season
Qi Zhai
Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China
Corresponding Author:zhaixiaoqi@126.com
Author ProfileWen-Kang Wei
Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China;
Author ProfileQin-Ling Chen
Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China
Author ProfileDian-Hong Lv
Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China Guangzhou, CN
Author ProfileXiao-Hui Wen
Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China Guangzhou, CN
Author ProfileMing-Fei Sun
Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China Guangzhou, CN
Author ProfileZhi-Hong Xu
Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China Guangzhou, CN
Author ProfileMing Liao
Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China Guangzhou, CN
Author ProfileShao-Lun Zhai
Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China Guangzhou, CN
Author ProfileAbstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), along with
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) are three emerging
coronaviruses with huge public health in the 21st century. Especially,
SARS-CoV-2 causes an unprecedented global pandemic and has spread in
over than 200 countries. Clinically, SARS-CoV-2 could co-infected with
respiratory pathogens including influenza virus and adenovirus in some
present cases. This suggests that the differential diagnosis cannot be
ignored. To investigate whether SARS-CoV-2 exists earlier and identify
possible co-infection in human with respiratory disease, we performed
the detections of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus using real-time RT-PCR
method and colloidal gold test strip in 534 throat swab samples
collected in influenza epidemic season (from January to May of 2019).
336 samples (62.9%) were tested positive for influenza virus, which
involved into 230 single influenza A virus (IAV)-positive samples, 4
single influenza B virus (IBV)-positive samples, and 102 IAV and IBV
co-infection samples. Unfortunately, we found no positive signal of
SARS-CoV-2 in 534 samples. Our finding reveals absence of SARS-CoV-2
infection in human archived samples in before the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2
in China. In addition, this study suggests that IAV was still major
respiratory pathogen responsible for respiratory disease in the
influenza season.