SARS-CoV-2 shedding and seroconversion among passengers quarantined after disembarking a cruise ship: a case series
Prof Ivan Fan-Ngai Hung, MD †
Vincent Chi-Chung Cheng, MD †
Xin Li, MRCP
Anthony Raymond Tam, MRCP
Derek Ling-Lung Hung, FRCPath
Kelvin Hei-Yeung Chiu, MRCP
et al.
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Published:June 12, 2020DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30364-9
Summary
Background
A cruise ship is a closed-off environment that simulates the basic functioning of a city in terms of living conditions and interpersonal interactions. Thus, the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was quarantined because of an onboard outbreak of COVID-19 in February, 2020, provides an opportunity to define the shedding pattern of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and patient antibody responses before and after the onset of symptoms.
Methods
We recruited adult (≥18 years) passengers from Hong Kong who had been on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama, Japan in February, 2020. All participants had been found to be negative for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR 4 days before disembarking and were transferred to further quarantine in a public estate in Hong Kong, where they were recruited. Participants were prospectively screened by quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) of nasopharyngeal and throat swabs, and serum IgG and IgM against internal nucleoprotein and the surface spike receptor-binding protein (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 at baseline (upon entering quarantine) and on days 4, 8, and 12 of quarantine.
