Objective To evaluate determinants of prolonged viral RNA shedding in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Materials and methods Hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 positive nasopharyngeal RT-PCR were included in a single-center, retrospective study. Patients were divided in two groups according to the timing of viral clearance [≤14 days, “early clearance (EC)” and >14 days, “late clearance (LC)”]. Results 179 patients were included in the study (101 EC, 78 LC), with median age 62 years. Median time of viral shedding was 14 days (EC/LC 10 and 19 days, respectively, p<0.0001). Univariate analyses showed that age, male gender, receiving corticosteroids, receiving tocilizumab, ICU admission, low albumin and NLR ratio were associated with late viral clearance. In the multivariable analysis, older age (p=0.016), albumin level (p=0.048), corticosteroids (p=0.021) and tocilizumab (p=0.015) were significantly associated with late viral clearance. Conclusions Age, albumin, tocilizumab and corticosteroid treatment were independently associated with a prolonged SARS-CoV-2 RNA shedding.

Italy was one of the most affected nations by coronavirus disease 2019 outside China. The infections, initially limited to Northern Italy, spread to all other Italian regions. This study aims to provide a snapshot of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) epidemiology based on a single‐center laboratory experience in Rome. The study retrospectively included 6565 subjects tested for SARS‐CoV‐2 at the Laboratory of Virology of Sapienza University Hospital in Rome from 6 March to 4 May. A total of 9995 clinical specimens were analyzed, including nasopharyngeal swabs, bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, gargle lavages, stools, pleural fluids, and cerebrospinal fluids. Positivity to SARS‐CoV‐2 was detected in 8% (527/6565) of individuals, increased with age, and was higher in male patients ( P < .001). The number of new confirmed cases reached a peak on 18 March and then decreased. The virus was detected in respiratory samples, in stool and in pleural fluids, while none of gargle lavage or cerebrospinal fluid samples gave a positive result. This analysis allowed to gather comprehensive information on SARS‐CoV‐2 epidemiology in our area, highlighting positivity variations over time and in different sex and age group and the need for a continuous surveillance of the infection, mostly because the pandemic evolution remains unknown.

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Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of Adenovirus, Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), HHV-6 and cytomegalovirus (CMV) nucleic acids in the gastrointestinal biopsies from active CD patients. Methods Gastrointestinal biopsies of 40 active CD patients and 40 non-CD patients were collected during the endoscopic investigation of gastrointestinal symptoms. Results HHV-6B was found in 62.5% of CD patients and in 65% of non-CD individuals, whereas the prevalence of EBV-positive samples was 20 and 10%, respectively. Nucleic acids from HHV-6A, CMV and adenovirus were not detected in any group. Conclusion These data suggest that these viruses may not play a role in the pathogenesis of acute CD, but they do not exclude the possibility that viruses can act as a trigger for the onset of celiac disease.