Viral RNA load as determined by cell culture as a management tool for discharge of SARS-CoV-2 patients from infectious disease wards.

Bernard La Scola (1) , Marion Le Bideau (2) , Julien Andreani (1) , van Thuan Hoang (3) , Clio Grimaldier (2) , Philippe Colson (1) , Philippe Gautret (3) , Didier Raoult (1)

1 MEPHI - Microbes évolution phylogénie et infections
2 IHU Marseille - Institut Hospitalier Universitaire Méditerranée Infection
3 VITROME - Vecteurs - Infections tropicales et méditerranéennes

In a preliminary clinical study, we observed that the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin was effective against SARS-CoV-2 by shortening the duration of viral load in Covid-19 patients. It is of paramount importance to define when a treated patient can be considered as no longer contagious. Correlation between successful isolation of virus in cell culture and Ct value of quantitative RT-PCR targeting E gene suggests that patients with Ct above 33-34 using our RT-PCR system are not contagious and thus can be discharged from hospital care or strict confinement for non-hospitalized patients.

Mots clés: Co-culture; Correlation; Covid-19; RT-PCR; SARS-CoV2; Viral load

Domaines: Bactériologie; Virologie; Parasitologie; Cardiologie et système cardiovasculaire; Maladies émergentes; Maladies infectieuses

Bernard La Scola, Marion Le Bideau, Julien Andreani, van Thuan Hoang, Clio Grimaldier, et al.. Viral RNA load as determined by cell culture as a management tool for discharge of SARS-CoV-2 patients from infectious disease wards.. European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 2020, ⟨10.1007/s10096-020-03913-9⟩. ⟨hal-02564271⟩