Related Experiment Video For PCR

Updated: Dec 23, 2025

Nasal Brushing Sampling and Processing Using Digital High Speed Ciliary Videomicroscopy – Adaptation for the COVID-19 Pandemic

Nasal Brushing Sampling and Processing Using Digital High Speed Ciliary Videomicroscopy – Adaptation for the COVID-19 Pandemic

Published on: November 7, 2020

Acute-onset smell and taste disorders in the context of COVID-19: a pilot multicentre polymerase chain reaction based

Á Beltrán-Corbellini¹, J L Chico-García¹, J Martínez-Poles^2,3

¹Department of Neurology, University Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain.

European Journal of Neurology

|April 23, 2020

Abstract

Background And Purpose:

Specific respiratory tract infections, including COVID-19, may cause smell and/or taste disorders (STDs) with increased frequency. The aim was to determine whether new-onset STDs are more frequent amongst COVID-19 patients than influenza patients.

Method:

This was a case-control study including hospitalized patients of two tertiary care centres. Consecutive patients positive for COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (cases) and patients positive for influenza polymerase chain reaction (historical control sample) were assessed during specific periods, employing a self-reported STD questionnaire.

Results:

Seventy-nine cases and 40 controls were included. No significant differences were found in basal features between the two groups. New-onset STDs were significantly more frequent amongst cases (31, 39.2%) than in the control group (5, 12.5 %) [adjusted odds ratio 21.4 (2.77-165.4, P = 0.003)]. COVID-19 patients with new-onset STDs were significantly younger than COVID-19 patients without STDs (52.6 ± 17.2 vs. 67.4 ± 15.1, P < 0.001). Amongst COVID-19 patients who presented STDs, 22 (70.9%) recalled an acute onset and it was an initial manifestation in 11 (35.5%). Twenty-five (80.6%) presented smell disorders (mostly anosmia, 14, 45.2%) and 28 (90.3%) taste disorders (mostly ageusia, 14, 45.2%). Only four (12.9 %) reported concomitant nasal obstruction. The mean duration of STD was 7.5 ± 3.2 days and 12 patients (40%) manifested complete recovery after 7.4 ± 2.3 days of onset.

Conclusion:

New-onset STDs were significantly more frequent amongst COVID-19 patients than influenza patients; they usually had an acute onset and were commonly an initial manifestation. The use of STD assessment in anamnesis as a hint for COVID-19 and to support individuals' self-isolation in the current epidemic context is suggested.

Keywords:

PCR case-control study coronavirus infection smell disorders taste disorders

More Related Videos

Swabbing the Urban Environment - A Pipeline for Sampling and Detection of SARS-CoV-2 From Environmental Reservoirs

Swabbing the Urban Environment - A Pipeline for Sampling and Detection of SARS-CoV-2 From Environmental Reservoirs

Published on: April 9, 2021

Efficient SARS-CoV-2 Quantitative Reverse Transcriptase PCR Saliva Diagnostic Strategy utilizing Open-Source Pipetting Robots

Efficient SARS-CoV-2 Quantitative Reverse Transcriptase PCR Saliva Diagnostic Strategy utilizing Open-Source Pipetting Robots

Published on: February 11, 2022

Related Concept Videos

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

The process of olfaction, also known as the sense of smell, is a sophisticated chemical response system. The specialized sensory neurons that facilitate this process, known as olfactory receptor neurons, are situated in an upper segment of the nasal cavity, known as the olfactory epithelium. Olfactory sensory neurons are bipolar, with their dendrites extending from the epithelium's apex into the mucus that lines the nasal cavity. Airborne molecules, when inhaled, traverse the olfactory...

Taste Buds and Receptors

Taste Buds and Receptors

Gustation, or the sense of taste, is intrinsically linked to the anatomical structures located on the tongue. This organ's surface, along with the entirety of the oral cavity, is adorned with stratified squamous epithelium. Evident on the tongue are elevated structures known as papillae (singular = papilla), which house the mechanisms for the transduction of gustatory stimuli. Four distinct types of papillae exist, each identified by their unique morphological attributes: the circumvallate,...

Conditioned Taste Aversion

Conditioned Taste Aversion

Conditioned taste aversion, also known as sauce béarnaise syndrome, is a phenomenon in which an individual develops an aversion to a certain food taste following a negative experience, typically illness. This form of aversion is a type of classical conditioning in which the taste of the food (conditioned stimulus, CS) is associated with the experience of illness (unconditioned stimulus, UCS).
A notable characteristic of conditioned taste aversion is that it often requires only a single...

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

Humans detect odors with the help of specialized cells located in the upper part of the nasal cavity, called olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). ORNs possess hair-like structures called cilia, which are receptive to sensations from the inhaled air. When an odorant molecule binds to a specific receptor on the cell of the cilia, it leads to a series of events that ultimately cause the ORN to send electrical signals to the olfactory bulb in the brain through the olfactory nerves.
The olfactory...

Olfaction

Olfaction

The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches olfactory epithelium (OE). The OE is protected by a thin layer of mucus, which also serves the purpose of dissolving more complex compounds into simpler chemical odorants. The size of the OE and the density of sensory neurons varies among species; in humans, the OE is only about 9-10 cm2.
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...

COPD: Pathogenesis and Clinical Features

COPD: Pathogenesis and Clinical Features

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of lung conditions that progressively worsen over time, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. This cluster of diseases collectively leads to a gradual and irreversible decline in lung function over time.
The primary cause for the onset of COPD is cigarette smoking and exposure to air pollution. These hazardous factors initiate a chain reaction within the lungs, resulting in chronic inflammation, damage to the airways, and a...

Keywords:

PCR case-control study coronavirus infection smell disorders taste disorders

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Interictal electric source imaging with open-source software and routine low-density electroencephalography: A systematic comparison of four inverse methods in drug-resistant epilepsy.

Epilepsia·2026

Rituximab and IVIG added to plasma exchange improves the outcome of severe CNS demyelinating attacks: a retrospective study.

Therapeutic advances in neurological disorders·2026

Glenzocimab Efficacy and Safety Added to Intravenous Thrombolysis With or Without Mechanical Thrombectomy in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke-ACTISAVE: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind Study.

Stroke·2026

Five-Year Follow-Up of Unilateral Focused Ultrasound Subthalamotomy for Parkinson's Disease.

Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society·2026

MRI Assessment of Nigrosome in Parkinson's Disease: Is it Currently a Valuable Tool in Clinical Practice?

Movement disorders clinical practice·2026

Seizures after decompressive surgery for cerebral venous thrombosis.

Journal of neurology·2025

See all related articles