Gold conjugated nanobodies in a signal-enhanced lateral flow test strip for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 S1 antigen in saliva samples.

Despite the transfer of COVID-19 from the pandemic to control, we are still in a state of uncertainty about long-term success. Therefore, there is a great need for rapid and sensitive diagnostics to sustain the control status. After several optimization trials, we developed lateral flow test (LFT) strips for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike 1 (S1) antigen in saliva samples.

Non-Invasive Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Antigen in Saliva versus Nasopharyngeal Swabs Using Nanobodies Conjugated Gold Nanoparticles.

The development of sensitive, non-invasive tests for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) antigens is imperative, and it is still challenging to manage the extent of infection throughout the population. Here, we designed and optimized a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) protocol for SARS-CoV-2 S1 antigen detection in saliva. Both saliva samples and nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from 220 real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR)-confirmed positive and negative cases.

Epidemiology of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Egyptian intensive care units using National Healthcare-associated Infections Surveillance Data, 2011-2017.

Objective: To describe the epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) healthcare-associated infections (HAI) in Egyptian hospitals reporting to the national HAI surveillance system.

Methods: Design Descriptive analysis of CRE HAIs and retrospective observational cohort study using national HAI surveillance data Setting: Egyptian hospitals participating in the HAI surveillance system. The patient population included patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in participating hospitals Enterobacteriaceae HAI cases were and isolates from blood, urine, wound or respiratory specimen collected on or after day 3 of ICU admission.