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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, February 2005, p. 962-965, Vol. 43, No. 2
0095-1137/05/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JCM.43.2.962-965.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Hui-Ling Chen,1,
Chao-Fu Yang,1
Yee-Chun Chen,2
Mei-Ling Chen,2
Shey-Ying Chen,3
Jyh-Yuan Yang,4
Jih-Hui Lin,4
Pan-Chyr Yang,2
Shan-Chwen Chang,2* and Members of the SARS Research Group of National Taiwan University College of Medicine-National Taiwan University Hospital
Institute of Microbiology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University,1 Department of Internal Medicine,2 Department of Emergency Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital,3 Center for Disease Control, Department of Health, Taipei, Taiwan4
Received 6 August 2004/ Returned for modification 18 September 2004/ Accepted 10 October 2004
We examined severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) RNA in plasma of 32 patients (probable SARS cases) by a quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR assay and reported that the highest detection rate, 75%, was found between day 5 and day 7 of illness, followed by rates of 64, 50, and 38% found between day 8 and day 11, day 2 and day 4, and day 12 and day 16, respectively. Analysis of sequential SARS-CoV load in plasma from six cases revealed different patterns of viremia, with the peak between day 4 and day 8. Our findings of the high detection rate of SARS-CoV RNA in plasma before day 11, together with the relative convenience of collecting and handling plasma, suggest that plasma can be used for early diagnosis of SARS.
C.-T.F. and H.-L.C. contributed equally to the work.
Contributing members of the SARS Research Group of National Taiwan University College of Medicine-National Taiwan University Hospital are listed in Acknowledgments.
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