Infect Chemother.  2021 Sep;53(3):578-581. 10.3947/ic.2020.0045.

Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in the Pleural Fluid

• Baek MS
• Kim WY
• Lee KJ
• Noh CS

• KMID: 2521260
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2020.0045

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be detected via a nasopharyngeal swab and in sputum, blood, urine, and feces. However, there is only limited data on the real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with pleural fluid. We report a case of COVID-19 with SARS-CoV-2 detected in both sputum and pleural fluid. A 68-year-old male patient came to the hospital with a chief complaint of dyspnea. He was diagnosed with lung cancer. A biopsy was performed, and a pneumothorax was found. As a result, a chest tube was placed into the right pleural space. During his hospital stay, the patient was confirmed as COVID-19 positive. We identified the presence of SARS-CoV-2 through real-time RTPCR assay from the pleural fluid. Although pleural effusion is an uncommon finding in the COVID-19, care should be taken to avoid exposure when handling the pleural fluid sample.

Keyword

Coronavirus; Pleural effusion; Polymerase chain reaction