Abstract
Among symptomatic outpatients, subgenomic RNA of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in nasal midturbinate swab specimens was concordant with antigen detection but remained detectable in 13 (82.1%) of 16 nasopharyngeal swab specimens from antigen-negative persons. Subgenomic RNA in midturbinate swab specimens might be useful for routine diagnostics to identify active virus replication.
Highlights
Among symptomatic outpatients, subgenomic RNA of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in nasal midturbinate swab specimens was concordant with antigen detection but remained detectable in 13 (82.1%) of 16 nasopharyngeal swab specimens from antigennegative persons
Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection has led to evaluation of molecular assays to detect subgenomic RNA or negative-strand RNA, which are produced during active viral replication
SARS-CoV-2 subgenomic RNA (sgRNA) was detected in all samples from antigen-positive participants (28/28 total), consistent with identification of active viral replication and potential shedding [4,5,8]
Summary
Subgenomic RNA of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in nasal midturbinate swab specimens was concordant with antigen detection but remained detectable in 13 (82.1%) of 16 nasopharyngeal swab specimens from antigennegative persons. Piantadosi, M.B. Vos, G.S. Martin, W.A. Lam, J.J. Waggoner); The Atlanta Center for Microsystems-Engineered Point-of-Care Technologies, Atlanta Immergluck, M.D. Gonzalez, J.K. Frediani, J.M. Levy, J. The Study We obtained 88 nasal midturbinate and 39 nasopharyngeal swab specimens (PurFlock Ultra Flocked Swabs; Puritan Medical Products, https://www.puritanmedproducts.com) from 127 persons who came to COVID-19 testing centers affiliated with Emory University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (Atlanta, GA, USA) during January 2021. Cycle threshold; N2, nucleocapsid 2; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; sgRNA, subgenomic RNA.
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