SARS-CoV-2 is not found in the sweat of COVID-19 positive patients

Arslan, Bengi; Bercin, Sami; Aydogan, Sibel; Islamoglu, Yuce; Dinc, Bedia

BACKGROUND: As the SARS-CoV-2 virus made a pandemic all over the world, its transmission routes became significant. Transmission from human to human is known, but other possible routes are not determined well. AIMS: This study aimed to reveal the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in sweat. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted in a tertiary care education and training hospital. Fifty patients were included in this study. Skin disinfection was done with an alcohol-based solution. Swabs for RT-PCR (real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) were taken from forehead and axilla skin after sweating patients for 30 min. After collection of sweat, swabs were placed into 2 ml of sterile viral transport medium, then transported quickly to the microbiology laboratory. RESULTS: No SARS-CoV-2 virus was detected in RT-PCR of forehead and axilla swabs. CONCLUSION: This study showed that there is no transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus via sweat. However, general precautions must be taken while doing interventional procedures.