A medical employee working at the department of infectious diseases at Wuhan Union Hospital stops to read medical reports, in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, Jan 28, 2020. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

WUHAN — Chinese experts warned that the novel coronavirus could be transmitted through the digestive system, according to the latest findings.

Chinese experts found viral nucleic acids in patients' stool and rectal swabs

They found viral nucleic acids in patients' stool and rectal swabs after they noticed that the initial symptom of some patients infected with the coronavirus was diarrhea only, instead of a fever, which is more common.

ALSO READ: WHO advises public on novel coronavirus

The latest findings resulted from joint research by experts from the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University and the Wuhan Institute of Virology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China's top research body in natural sciences.

The research team believes that the novel coronavirus still has certain fecal-oral transmission, aside from droplet and contact transmissions.

READ MORE: Virus: China sees 2,829 new confirmed cases, 57 new deaths