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Volume 30, Number 8—August 2024
Research Letter

Infective SARS-CoV-2 in Skull Sawdust at Autopsy, Finland

Jonas N. KantonenComments to Author , Suvi Kuivanen1, Teemu Smura, Henri Puttonen, Eliisa Kekäläinen, Antti Sajantila, Liisa Myllykangas, Anu Kantele, Olli Vapalahti, Mikko I. Mäyränpää2, and Olli Carpén2
Author affiliations: University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (J.N. Kantonen, S. Kuivanen, T. Smura, H. Puttonen, E. Kekäläinen, A. Sajantila, L. Myllykangas, A. Kantele, O. Vapalahti, M.I. Mäyränpää, O. Carpén); Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki (J.N. Kantonen, H. Puttonen, E. Kekäläinen, L. Myllykangas, A. Kantele, O. Vapalahti, M.I. Mäyränpää, O. Carpén); Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki (A. Sajantila)

Main Article

Table

SARS-CoV-2 distribution among cohort of 22 autopsied deceased persons with COVID-19 who had skull sawdust sampling, Finland*

Case no. Airway
Nonairway
CNS PCR and culture Skull sawdust
Autopsy table
PCR Culture PCR Culture PCR Culture PCR Culture
1 + +
2 +
3 +
4 +
5 +
6 + + +
7 + + + +
8 + + +
9† + + + + + +
10 + + +
11 + + + + +
12 + + +
13 +
14 + + + + +
15 + + + + +
16 + + + + +
17 + +
18 + + + +
19 + + +
20 + + +
21 +
22
+
+







+
+
Positive samples/total no. samples (%) 22/22 (100) 13/22 (59.1) 10/22 (45.5) 2/22 (9.1) 0/22 2/22 (9.1) 1/22 (4.5) 13/22 (59.1) 3/22 (13.6)

*The pooled sample category per patient was considered positive if a single positive tissue sample of that category was found (copy number cutoff value 10; Appendix). Airway refers to tissues relating to the airway system (i.e., nasopharynx, bronchi, lungs, tonsils, sclera, and airway-associated cervical and parabronchial lymph nodes). Autopsy table refers to the contaminated autopsy table and the outer surfaces of the organ block, representing the main working area and target of showering with water. Only a limited number of cases showed culture positivity (Ct value reduction after culture compared with initial Ct value; Appendix) in general; skull positivity was scarce, whereas the autopsy table was more often positive by both PCR and viral culture. †Test results showed culture positivity in the cranial sawdust sample and low-level nonairway PCR-positivity limited to skeletal muscle and salivary gland tissues, indicating limited systemic viral involvement (Appendix Table).

Main Article

1Current affiliation: Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

2These senior authors contributed equally to this article.

Page created: June 28, 2024
Page updated: July 22, 2024
Page reviewed: July 22, 2024
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