{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T01:05:37Z","timestamp":1760144737523,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,20]],"date-time":"2024-05-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1716163200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The rapid and accurate detection of infectious people is crucial in controlling outbreaks. The aim of this study was to evaluate the kinetics of the viral load expressed as Ct in COVID-19 hospitalized patients. Nasopharyngeal swab specimens were collected for RT-PCR testing. Forty-one subjects were recruited, of which 48.8% developed severe symptoms and 51.2% showed milder symptoms. The distribution of Ct values measured from the symptom onset showed that the kinetics of the viral load decreased with increasing time. A Ct of 25 (high viral load) was reached after a mean of 9.9 \u00b1 4.8 days from the symptom onset, without a significant difference between patients with severe (10.9 \u00b1 5.7 days) and milder (9.0 \u00b1 3.9 days) symptoms. In 65.8% of cases, a high viral load was maintained for more than 7 days from the symptom onset, especially in patients with severe symptoms (70.6%). A Ct of 30 (moderate viral load) and of 38 (low viral load) were reached after a mean of 16.1 \u00b1 8.1 and 28.5 \u00b1 22.4 days from the symptom onset, respectively, with a significant difference between patients with severe (Ct = 30:17.9 \u00b1 9.8 days; Ct = 38:34.6 \u00b1 29.6 days) and milder (Ct = 30:14.3 \u00b1 5.8 days; Ct = 38:22.7 \u00b1 9.9 days) symptoms. These results provide an understanding of the viral kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 and have implications for pandemic control strategies and practices.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens13050429","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,20]],"date-time":"2024-05-20T08:20:31Z","timestamp":1716193231000},"page":"429","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load in Hospitalized Patients"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1876-7184","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandra","family":"Panico","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5208-5382","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesco","family":"Bagordo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy-Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70121 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Emanuela","family":"Nolasco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Unit, Vito Fazzi General Hospital, 73100 Lecce, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1200-2778","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tiziana","family":"Grassi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Annagrazia","family":"Bianco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Unit, Vito Fazzi General Hospital, 73100 Lecce, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Floriano","family":"Indino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Unit, Vito Fazzi General Hospital, 73100 Lecce, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Federica","family":"Taurino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Unit, Vito Fazzi General Hospital, 73100 Lecce, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8349-2466","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonella","family":"De Donno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giambattista","family":"Lobreglio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Unit, Vito Fazzi General Hospital, 73100 Lecce, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"85","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biochi.2020.09.018","article-title":"The emergence of COVID-19 as a global pandemic: Understanding the epidemiology, immune response and potential therapeutic targets of SARS-CoV-2","volume":"179","author":"Muralidar","year":"2020","journal-title":"Biochimie"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zizza, A., Sedile, R., Bagordo, F., Panico, A., Guido, M., Grassi, T., Banchelli, F., and Grima, P. 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