Nationwide Harmonization Effort for Semi-Quantitative Reporting of SARS-CoV-2 PCR Test Results in Belgium.

From early 2020, a high demand for SARS-CoV-2 tests was driven by several testing indications, including asymptomatic cases, resulting in the massive roll-out of PCR assays to combat the pandemic. Considering the dynamic of viral shedding during the course of infection, the demand to report cycle threshold (Ct) values rapidly emerged. As Ct values can be affected by a number of factors, we considered that harmonization of semi-quantitative PCR results across laboratories would avoid potential divergent interpretations, particularly in the absence of clinical or serological information.

Vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection and preterm birth.

Viral infections are common complications of pregnancy, with a wide range of obstetric and neonatal sequelae. Currently, there are limited data on whether SARS-CoV-2 is vertically transmitted in pregnant women tested positive for the virus. Here we describe a case of a known SARS-CoV-2-positive woman giving preterm birth to two fetuses with SARS-CoV-2 positive testing in placental tissue and amniotic fluid.

Establishing quality control ranges for temocillin following CLSI-M23-A3 guideline.

Objectives: This study aimed to establish acceptable quality control ranges for temocillin disk diffusion tests and Etest(®) minimal inhibitory concentrations.

Methods: According to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guideline, a Tier 2 quality control study was performed and involves seven laboratories. Each of them tested 10 replicates of two quality control strains (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and E.