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OP swab obtained in Milan #Italy on 5 Dec 2019 from a 4yo boy (measles suspected, d14 of Sx) positive for #SARSCoV2 RNA (GenBank https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/MW303957). Lab reportedly SCV2-free, finding repeated, but amplicon very small. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/2/20-4632_article
The boy had no travel history, apparently. The recovered 409 bp amplicon is 100% match for Wuhan-1 strain.
If corroborated (other local isolates, longer amplicons, etc) this by itself doesn't change our understanding of the #origin of #SARSCoV2 but shifts dissemination earlier.
If corroborated (other local isolates, longer amplicons, etc) this by itself doesn't change our understanding of the #origin of #SARSCoV2 but shifts dissemination earlier.
Report of antibody positivity in Italy in Sept 2019 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33176598/ unconvincing for me given that the "in house" assay used was unvalidated - this RNA detection is far stronger evidence, but is 3 months later and needs corroboration (one specimen not enough).
