First study at German COVID-19-Sick published
Recently, the first major study appeared Ill at German COVID-19 -. Research leader Professor Christian Drosten a Munich-based group was looking for with his Team in detail. So, comprehensive knowledge about the Transferability of the Coronavirus SARS could be obtained-CoV-2, from which new recommendations for treatment can be derived.
Researchers from the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, of Munich, clinic Schwabing, and the Institute for Microbiology of the German armed forces were able to document detailed observations of the course of Infection of COVID-19 Affected from Germany. The results were recently presented in the prestigious scientific journal “Nature”.
Munich-based case group examined in detail
By the end of January, the first contiguous COVID have been detected in the district of Starnberg in Munich-19-cases in Germany. Nine of these cases were treated in a Munich hospital Munich-Schwabing and at the same time thoroughly investigated. To know “this time we really only know very little about the novel Coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV-2”, explains Professor Dr. Christian Drosten, Director of the Institute for Virology, directed together with Professor Dr. Clemens Wendtner, chief of infectious diseases and tropical medicine at Munich, clinic Schwabing, the study.
Who the studied patients are?
“We have studied these nine cases of your disease course, therefore, very closely virologically – and so many important Details about the new Virus,” added Professor Wendtner. The supervised patients were in the younger to middle-aged and showed more mild, flu – feel-like symptoms such as cough and fever, as well as a disorder of taste and Smell.
“The scientific significance of our study was advantageous in that the cases were all with one index patient, and not just because of certain symptoms have been studied,” says chief physician Wendtner. The virological could Happen to be well documented, in order to derive important insights on the Transferability derive.
The expiration of the investigation
The patients were collected over the entire course of the infection daily swabs from the nose and throat, as well as samples of the cough-discharge, and analyzed. These studies were conducted for up to 28 days after the onset of symptoms to continue. In addition, stool, blood and urine samples of the Participants to several of the disease were collected time points and evaluated. All samples were analysed in two independent laboratories – one of the Institute for Microbiology of the Bundeswehr and the German center for infection research (DZIF).
What are the main findings of the study?
The researchers found that the virus excretion in the throat of the COVID-19-is Infected, especially in the first week after the onset of symptoms is very high. This was also reflected in the cough-sputum. From both samples, infectious Virus particle isolate. “This means that the new Coronavirus can not only in the lungs, but in the throat multiply and thus very easily transferable”, says Professor Drosten.
The viral load decreased in the majority of examined Participants in the course of the first week of illness significantly. Similarly, the viral load decreased in the lung, but later than in the throat. Eight days after the onset of symptoms, the researchers isolate any infectious virus particles were. From this point on, COVID not more (or much less) seems to be 19 contagious.
SARS-CoV-2 is in the early phase of the Disease highly contagious
“The high viral load in the throat is equal to the onset of symptoms suggests that COVID-19-Diseased at a very early stage are infectious, possibly even before they ever realize they are sick,” said Dr. Roman Wölfel, Director of the Institute for Microbiology of the Bundeswehr.
In addition, there seems to be a correlation between the viral load in the throat and lungs, and the Infectivity. This is according to the research team is an important factor in the decision about when Infected the shortage of bed capacity at the earliest discharged from the hospital can be. The research team comes to the conclusion that COVID-19-patients and in -patients can be discharged in the in-home quarantine, if after the tenth day of the disease less than 100,000 copies of the virus genome in the cough-sputum to be detected.
When forming antibodies?
The study also gives information about when antibodies form. From the samples of blood sera was that half of the studied patients had already developed on the seventh day after onset of Disease, antibodies against the Virus. After two weeks had produced all of the Participating anti-body. “With the onset of antibody production, a slower drop in the viral load went hand in hand,” write the researchers.
Is urine and faeces are not infectious?
The researchers found evidence to suggest that the Coronavirus is SARS-CoV-2 spread in the gastro-intestinal tract, in the faeces and urine samples were no infectious virus detected.
Differences to SARS
Even if SARS-CoV-2 genetic Similarity to the old SARS Virus, were able to determine, the research team marked differences. So the old SARS Virus affects only the lungs and is, therefore, considerably less infectious. “Our studies of the Munich group have demonstrated, instead, that the new SARS-Coronavirus of the old is different in terms of the infected tissue strongly,” says virologist Drosten. I, of course, enormous consequences for the spread of the infection.
What’s next?
Now the research team is dedicated to immunity against SARS-CoV-2. In a further study in German patients is now to be found out, how exactly the long-term immunity against SARS-CoV-2 developed. These analyses are, among other things, for the development of vaccines is of great importance. (vb)