Author/Authors :
Abolnezhadian, Farhad Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology - Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Makvandi, Manoochehr Department of Virology - Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Alavi, Mohammad Health Research Institute - Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center - Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Azaran, Azarakhsh Department of Virology - Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Jalilian, Shahram Department of Virology - Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Rashno, Mohammad Department of Immunology - Faculty of Medicine - Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Kaydani, Gholam Abbas Health Research Institute - Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center - Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Arshadi, Maniya Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Hosseinizadeh, Mehdi Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Boostani, Hatam Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Seyedian, Saeed Alimentary Tract Research Center Golestan Hospital - Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Moogahi, Sasan Department of Infectious Diseases - School of Medicine - Ahvaz JundishapurUniversity of Medical Sciences, Iran , Salmanzadeh, Shokrolah Department of Infectious Diseases - School of Medicine - Ahvaz JundishapurUniversity of Medical Sciences, Iran , Varnaseri, Mehran Department of Infectious Diseases - School of Medicine - Ahvaz JundishapurUniversity of Medical Sciences, Iran , Neisi, Niloofar Department of Virology - Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Keifarrokhi, Hooman Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Shariati, Gholamreza Department of Medical Genetics - Faculty of Medicine - Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Amiri, Homayoun Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Parsanahad, Mehdi Department of Virology - Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Nashibi, Roohangiz Department of Infectious Diseases - School of Medicine - Ahvaz JundishapurUniversity of Medical Sciences, Iran , Yousefi, Farid Department of Infectious Diseases - School of Medicine - Ahvaz JundishapurUniversity of Medical Sciences, Iran , Ahmadi, Fatemeh Department of Infectious Diseases - School of Medicine - Ahvaz JundishapurUniversity of Medical Sciences, Iran , AhmadiAngali, Kambiz Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology - School of Health Sciences - Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Abstract :
The emergence of a highly pathogenic virus named severe acute respiratory syndrome
coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) accounts for severe pneumonia throughout the world. More
than 7 million world population have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, and the number of
deaths is increasing every day. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 in
hospitalized patients with acute respiratory infection (ARI).
During an outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2, the nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs
were collected from 909 hospitalized patients with severe pneumonia, including 517 (56.9%)
males and 392 (43.1%) females. All the collected samples were from different cities of
Khuzestan province from 19 February to- 27 March 2020. The RNA was extracted from
samples and subjected to real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the detection of
the SARS-CoV-2. Simultaneously, the computerized tomography (CT) scan was tested for
the presence of ground-glass opacity in the lung among the patients.
Of the total number of 909 specimens, 328 (36.08%) cases, including 185 (20.35%)
females and 143 (15.73%) males, were positive for the SARS-CoV-2 while, 581 (63.9%)
cases, including 374 (41.14%) males and 207 (22.77%) were negative for the SARS-CoV-2 by real-time PCR (p=0.001).Four hundred sixteen (45.76%) cases were positive for ground-glass
opacity in the lung by CT scan, while 328/909 (36.08%) trials proved positive for SARSCoV-2 by the real-time PCR (p=0.003).
In this study, 36.08% of patients were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Although the results of
positive cases by CT scan showed higher than real-time PCR, screening the SARS-CoV-2
with a real-time PCR method is the first line of choice.
