Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection

• Published in: The Lancet infectious diseases Vol. 20; no. 9; pp. 996 - 998
• Main Authors: Ooi, Eng Eong, Low, Jenny G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2020; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Asymptomatic; Betacoronavirus; Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Dehydrogenases; Disease transmission; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Medical imaging; Pandemics; Pathogenesis; Pneumonia, Viral; Polymerase chain reaction; Respiratory tract; Respiratory tract diseases; SARS-CoV-2; Seroconversion; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Ships; Viral diseases; Viruses; Hong Kong China; Japan; China
• ISSN: 1473-3099; 1474-4457; 1474-4457
• DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30460-6

Neither of the studies, however, were able to identify the time of initial exposure to the virus that led to infection. Because RT-PCR positivity can persist for weeks and is subject to sampling error,5 the comparison between asymptomatic and symptomatic cases could be confounded by the difference in time from virus exposure. Nonetheless, these findings suggest that some individuals can tolerate a certain extent of lower respiratory tract infection without developing any symptoms. Besides the extent of pulmonary infection, differentiation between symptomatic and asymptomatic outcomes might be related to the type of host response to infection. [...]outbreak investigations that are able to identify asymptomatic and presymptomatic infections have unique opportunities to gain clinical insights into COVID-19 pathogenesis.