Diagnostic testing is essential for management of the COVID-19 pandemic. An agile assay design methodology, optimized for the cobas® 6800/8800 system, was used to develop a dual-target, qualitative SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test using commercially available reagents and existing sample processing and thermocycling profiles. The limit of detection was 30-52 copies/mL for USA-WA1/2020. Assay sensitivity was confirmed for SARS-CoV-2 variants Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Kappa. The coefficients of variation of the cycle threshold number (Ct) were between 1.1 and 2.2%. There was no difference in Ct using nasopharyngeal compared to oropharyngeal swabs in universal transport medium (UTM). A small increase in Ct was observed with specimens collected in cobas PCR medium compared to UTM. In silico analysis indicated that the dual-target test is capable of detecting all >1,800,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences in the GISAID database. Our agile assay design approach facilitated rapid development and deployment of this SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9464314PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10591DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

sars-cov-2 rt-pcr
12
agile assay
8
assay design
8
rt-pcr test
8
sars-cov-2
5
agile design
4
design development
4
development high
4
high throughput
4
throughput cobas
4

Similar Publications

This study investigates the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values and key COVID-19 transmission and outcome metrics across five years of the pandemic in Jalisco, Mexico. Utilizing a comprehensive time-series analysis, we evaluated weekly median Ct values as proxies for viral load and their temporal associations with positivity rates, reproduction numbers (Rt), hospitalizations, and mortality. Cross-correlation and lagged regression analyses revealed significant lead-lag relationships, with declining Ct values consistently preceding surges in positivity rates and hospitalizations, particularly during the early phases of the pandemic.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with a significant fatality rate and persistent evolution in immunocompromised patients. In this prospective study, we aimed to determine the duration of excretion of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in 37 Tunisian patients with hematological malignancies (40.5% with lymphoma and 37.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

First Detection of in Bats from the World's Largest Wetland, the Pantanal, Brazil.

Pathogens

January 2025

Laboratório de Virologia e Rickettsioses, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Fernando Correa da Costa, 2367, Cuiabá 78060-900, Brazil.

Coronaviruses (CoV) infect a wide variety of hosts, causing epidemics in humans, birds, and mammals over the years. Bats (order Chiroptera) are one of the natural hosts of the Coronaviridae family. They represent 40% of the total number of mammal species in the Pantanal, a biodiversity hotspot in South America.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Respiratory viral infections are a major public health challenge and the most diagnosed medical condition, particularly for individuals living in close proximity, like military personnel. We compared the sensitivity and specificity of the Biomeme Franklin and Truelab RT-PCR thermocyclers to determine which platform is more sensitive and specific at detecting SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A and B viruses.

Methodology: RNA extracted from nasopharyngeal swabs of infected and uninfected individuals was tested on the Biomeme Franklin at Lackland and the Truelab at Wright Patterson Air Force bases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In the year 2019, a highly virulent coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged, precipitating the outbreak of the illness known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The commonly employed reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) methodology serves to estimate the viral load in each patient's sample by employing a standard curve. However, it is imperative to recognize that this technique exhibits limitations with respect to clinical diagnosis and therapeutic applications, since an advancement of the conventional polymerase chain reaction methods, digital polymerase chain reaction (digital PCR or DDPCR), enables the direct quantification and clonal amplification of nucleic acid strands.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!