@article{Mattiuzzi_Henry_Sanchis-Gomar_Lippi_2020, title={SARS-CoV-2 recurrent RNA positivity after recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a meta-analysis}, volume={91}, url={https://mattioli1885journals.com/index.php/actabiomedica/article/view/10303}, DOI={10.23750/abm.v91i3.10303}, abstractNote={<p class="p1"><em>Background and aim:</em> Isolation of subjects with active severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a pivotal preventive measure in the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A growing number of studies reported cases of recurrent SARS-CoV-2 RNA positivity following disease recovery, which were identified with a critical literature search and then meta-analyzed in this article. <em>Materials and Methods:</em> A digital search was performed in Medline and Web of Science, using the keywords “coronavirus disease 2019” OR “COVID-19” OR “severe acute respiratory disease 2” OR “SARS-CoV-2” AND “recurrence” OR “repositivization” OR “retesting”, without date or language restrictions. Recovery was defined as resolution of symptoms, with at least two consecutive negative molecular tests. <em>Results:</em> A total number of 17 studies, with 5,182 COVID-19 patients, were included. SARS-CoV-2 recurrent RNA positivity in recovered COVID-19 patients ranged between 7-23% across the studies, with follow-up testing between 1-60 days. The estimated cumulative rate of SARS-CoV-2 recurrent RNA positivity was 12% (95% confidence interval, 12-13%; I<sup>2</sup>, 74%). <em>Conclusions:</em> Repeated molecular testing on respiratory tracts specimens at 1 and 2 months after recovery from COVID-19 is strongly advisable for early identification, isolation and clinical management of subjects with SARS-CoV-2 recurrent RNA positivity.</p>}, number={3}, journal={Acta Biomedica Atenei Parmensis}, author={Mattiuzzi, Camilla and Henry, Brandon M. and Sanchis-Gomar, Fabian and Lippi, Giuseppe}, year={2020}, month={Sep.}, pages={e2020014} }