Diarrhea Might Be A Secondary Path Of nCoV Transmission — Scientists

Diarrhea might be a secondary path of transmission for the 2019 novel coronavirus, according to the researchers’ latest study.

This, following the publication of the latest study, reporting patients with loose stool and abdominal symptoms. The primary path of transmission for the 2019 novel coronavirus was believed to be virus-laden droplets from an infected patient’s cough, yet researchers in early cases have stated that they focused more on patients who have respiratory symptoms and might have overlooked those linked to the digestive tract.

Diarrhea Might Be A Secondary Path Of nCoV Transmission
Photo from AFP News

In a recent study presented by Chinese authors in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), a total of 10% (14 out of 138) patients in Wuhan hospital initially presented with nausea and diarrhea for one or two days prior to the development of fever and labored breathing.

The first patient who was diagnosed with 2019-nCoV in the US also experienced loose bowel movement (LBM) for two days and the virus was subsequently detected in the patient’s stool.

According to William Keevil, a professor of environmental healthcare at the University of Southampton, the 2019 novel coronavirus has been reported in the stools of patients with atypical abdominal symptoms, suggesting a “fecal transmission route” which was highly transmissible.

Jiayu Liao, a bioengineer at the University of California in Riverside, said that the 2019-nCoV “found in stools may be transmitted through the fecal spread,” yet they didn’t know how long the 2019 novel coronavirus can survive outside the body and what temperature range the 2019-nCoV was sensitive to.

Benjamin Neuman, a virology expert at Texas A&M University-Texarkana, warned that “droplets and touching contaminated surfaces then rubbing eyes, nose or mouth” were likely the main way the 2019-nCoV was transmitted while the fecal transmission was “certainly worth considering.”

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