This case reports recurrent cytopathic effects and prolonged viral shedding in an immunocompromised patient, suggesting limitations of PCR for determining viral infectivity.
A 79‐year‐old woman with malignant lymphoma initially recovered from mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), but later developed pneumonia. Despite continuous PCR positivity, cytopathic effect (CPE) temporarily became negative before re‐emerging with clinical deterioration. This case shows that PCR results alone cannot reliably determine viral infectivity, and once‐negative CPE can become positive again.
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Ohira et al. (2026) studied this question.
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