Recently, during the critical period of COVID-19 prevention and control, Department of Ophthalmology collaborated with Department of Infectious Diseases, Clinical Laboratory and Clinical Biological Sample Center in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU), and shared the cooperation and exchange platform provided by Clinical Biological Sample Center to publish a Case Series entitled Positive detection of SARS-CoV-2 combined HSV1 and HHV6B virus nucleic acid in tear and conjunctival secretions of a non-conjunctivitis COVID-19 patient with obstruction of common lacrimal duct in Acta Ophthalmologica (IF=3.153), a prestigious international journal in the field of ophthalmology.
Li Li, Associate Chief Physician of Department of Ophthalmology, was responsible for study design and implementation. Physician Hu Yaguang collected the conjunctival swabs from more than 20 COVID-19 patients in the isolation ward of Department of Infectious Diseases and one patient was found to be positive for nucleic acid test of COVID-19. Wang Yawen, Director of Clinical Biological Sample Center and Professor Chen Tianyan from Department of Infectious Diseases also delivered tremendous supports. In this consecutive study, dynamic changes in the nucleic acid test results of the eyes and systemic immunity, complicated with infection, lopinavir use guidance and its correlation with gene detection were observed and analyzed. Flow cytometry and next-generation sequencing (NGS) were employed to deliver comprehensive and in-depth analyses of the disease course characteristics and the changes of different parameters before and after corresponding treatment.
Although this is a single-case study, the research team not only discovered the impact of specific ocular diseases upon the testing results, but also identified the correlation between the detection rate and systemic status from a multidisciplinary perspective. After effective treatment and attentive nursing care, the patient has been successfully discharged after obtaining normal body temperature and negative results for nasopharyngeal and eye swab test.
