Molecular characterization of SARS-CoV-2 from the first case of COVID-19 in Italy

Clinical Microbiology and Infection

Capobianchi, Maria Rosaria; Rueca, Martina; Messina, Francesco; Giombini, Emanuela; Carletti, Fabrizio; Colavita, Francesca; Castilletti, Concetta; Lalle, Eleonora; Bordi, Licia; Vairo, Francesco; Nicastri, Emanuele; Ippolito, Giuseppe; Maria Gruber, Cesare Ernesto; Bartolini, Barbara

 

To the Editor,

On January 29, 2020, two Chinese spouses (patient 1, female; patient 2, male), coming to Italy as tourists from Hubei province, were hospitalized at the National Institute for Infectious Diseases “L. Spallanzani”, Rome, with fever and respiratory symptoms. SARSCoV-2 diagnosis was accomplished using real-time RT-PCR on a nasopharyngeal swab and sputum for patient 1 and on a nasopharyngeal swab for patient 2, collected 1 day after symptom onset. Partial sequencing confirmed both patients to be infected with SARS-CoV-2

Keywords

Clinical aspects, diagnosis, treatment