Viruria basically describes the presence of viruses in the urine.
In acute viral infections, the virus is usually present in the blood, throat, feces, and in some cases also in the cerebrospinal fluid or urine. Especially in the case of infections in the genitourinary system, the viruses can usually be reliably detected in the urine.
Usually, viruses are detected in the urine in three ways:
Viral infections in which viruria is more important are:
Depending on the infection, further transmission by urine can be more or less important. Essential ways are:
In the case of animal viruses, these are transmitted by contact with the urine of host animals or by inhalation of the dried host. For example hantaviruses and arena viruses.
With regard to coronaviruses (MERS-CoV, e.g. COVID-19, SARS), there are case reports in which viral RNA of MERS-CoV has been found in the respiratory tract, blood, urine and stool. It is known that the virus primarily affects the respiratory tract, but a high viral load is also often found in the kidney. Covid-19 damages not only the lungs, but also the kidneys. On the one hand, kidney damage, usually in the form of hematuria or albuminuria, could be observed after a corona infection and on the other hand, patients with kidney disease are more likely to have severe courses. In some pathological examinations of kidneys of deceased corona patients, more scarring altered kidney areas up to necrosis could be observed. One possible explanation for this association is that the receptor that the virus affects in the lungs is also present in the kidney.
With regard to Medipee Technology, there is still no concrete test for these viruses. This is part of development work. However, the nationwide measurement of urine temperature would make it possible to monitor the pandemic spread of fever-causing viruses. Infection nests could thus be located at an early stage. If the association of positive values in the urine of albumin, erythrocytes, leukocytes and COVID-19 is confirmed in certain patient groups, urine monitoring via the Medipee System would also be an effective approach.
See also: Blood in the urine, Medications, Did you already know?
