SARS-CoV-2 found in stool ‘weeks’ after infection

Enteric manifestations of the disease and patterns of faecal shedding need to be understood, researchers say
Clare Pain
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Viral RNA from SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in patients weeks after symptom onset and often after respiratory swabs have become negative, two studies show.

Whether or not the virus is viable in such stool samples is unknown, but the findings bring concern that some patients with COVID-19 could be a source of infection in the weeks after they have “recovered”.