Investigation of vaginal and rectal swabs of women infected with COVID-19 in two hospitals covered by Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, 2020

Abstract

Due to the emergence of COVID-19 virus worldwide and need to identify ways of transmitting the virus, we conducted a cross-sectional study from July to November 2020 on 80 women with COVID-19 infection was confirmed by nasopharyngeal proper time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We investigated SARS-CoV-2 in their vaginal and rectal swabs. The results showed that (n = 6, 7.5%) patients had positive rectal PCR and (n = 10, 12.5%) had positive vaginal PCR. There was a statistically significant relationship between positive rectal test and positive vaginal test (p=.001). Positive rectal PCR was significantly higher in women over 60 years old than in other age groups (p=.004).

Impact Statement

• What is already known on this subject? In the past studies, the presence of the virus in the vagina and rectum was less or not confirmed.

• What do the results of this study add? The results of our study showed that the COVID-19 virus can infect the vagina and rectum of women.

• What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? This finding should be considered in sexual transmission and mother to child transmission and also vaginal colonisation, especially at the time of delivery.

Keywords:

• Coronavirus
• vagina
• rectum
• women

Acknowledgements

Authors appreciate support of the Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences and all the patients involved in the study.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.