Cervicovaginal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) positivity: A pilot study
Baris Ciplak, Yahya Sahin, Rukiye Akyol, Fikriye Milletli Sezgin, Lokman Hizmali, Veysel Akca, Isil Sayhan, Fatma Celik, Zeynep Koylu, Sercan Eroglu, Selda Songur Dagli, Yavuz Simsek, Mustafa Kara
DOI: 10.5455/medscience.2022.08.181 · Page: 1588-92 · 3 Views · 0 Downloads · 0 Citations
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can potentially infect female reproductive organs. In this study, we investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in cervicovaginal fluid. This study included 31 female patients aged 18–65 years. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was investigated by RT‒PCR in two separate cervicovaginal swab samples collected from patients 14 days apart. Viral RNA was extracted using Bio-Speedy ®vNAT® Viral Nucleic Acid Buffer (vNAT) solution, and SARS-CoV-2 RNA was analyzed using Bio-Speedy SARS-CoV-2 RT‒qPCR kits in a Bio-Rad CFX96 TouchTM device. First and second cervical swab samples were collected 14 days apart. The SARS-CoV-2 RNA result was negative in all 53 cervicovaginal swab samples collected. Negative SARS-CoV-2 RNA results in cervicovaginal swab samples indicate that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is not sexually transmitted. However, the number of studies on this subject and the sample size examined are still insufficient for reaching this conclusion.
Keywords: Cervicovaginal fluid, COVID-19, female genital system, sexual transmission
Keywords : Cervicovaginal fluid; COVID-19; female genital system; sexual transmission