PLoS ONE (Jan 2021)

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is not detected in the vagina: A prospective study.

  • Ozguc Takmaz,
  • Eren Kaya,
  • Burak Erdi,
  • Gozde Unsal,
  • Pari Sharifli,
  • Nihat Bugra Agaoglu,
  • Esra Ozbasli,
  • Serap Gencer,
  • Mete Gungor

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253072
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 9
p. e0253072

Abstract

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ObjectiveTo determine whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is present in the vagina of women diagnosed with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pneumonia.Study designThe study was conducted prospectively in a university affiliated hospital. Forty-one women of reproductive age whose nasopharyngeal PCR test were positive for SARS-CoV-2 and clinically diagnosed with pneumonia were included in the study. Vaginal swabs were obtained for SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests when the patients were admitted to the inpatient service before pneumonia treatment was initiated.ResultsVaginal swab samples of 38 patients were analysed with SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests. None of the vaginal swabs were positive for SARS-CoV-2.ConclusionsSARS-CoV-2 does not infect the vagina of women diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.