Abstract
With global demand for SARS-CoV-2 testing ever rising, shortages in commercially available viral transport media pose a serious problem for laboratories and health care providers. For reliable diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses, executed by Real-time PCR, the quality of respiratory specimens, predominantly determined by transport and storage conditions, is crucial. Therefore, our aim was to explore the reliability of minimal transport media, comprising saline or the CDC recommended Viral Transport Media (HBSS VTM), for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses (influenza A, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, rhinovirus and human metapneumovirus) compared to commercial products, such as the Universal Transport Media (UTM). We question the assumptions, that the choice of medium and temperature for storage and transport affect the accuracy of viral detection by RT-PCR. Both alternatives to the commercial transport medium (UTM), HBSS VTM or saline, allow adequate detection of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses, regardless of storage temperatures up to 28 °C and storage times up to 28 days. Our study revealed the high resilience of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses, enabling proper detection in clinical specimens even after long-time storage at high temperatures, independent of the transport medium’s composition.
Highlights
With global demand for SARS-CoV-2 testing ever rising, shortages in commercially available viral transport media pose a serious problem for laboratories and health care providers
The thermal long-time stability of the viral RNA is a key aspect in diagnostics assessed by Real-time PCR (RT-PCR)
We evaluated the stability of SARS-CoV-2 and a variety of other respiratory viruses, representing different families varying in size, structure and genetic material, for diagnostic analysis by RT-PCR at temperatures up to 28 °C, considering possible effects mediated by the transport medium
Summary
With global demand for SARS-CoV-2 testing ever rising, shortages in commercially available viral transport media pose a serious problem for laboratories and health care providers. Our aim was to explore the reliability of minimal transport media, comprising saline or the CDC recommended Viral Transport Media (HBSS VTM), for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses (influenza A, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, rhinovirus and human metapneumovirus) compared to commercial products, such as the Universal Transport Media (UTM). That the choice of medium and temperature for storage and transport affect the accuracy of viral detection by RT-PCR Both alternatives to the commercial transport medium (UTM), HBSS VTM or saline, allow adequate detection of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses, regardless of storage temperatures up to 28 °C and storage times up to 28 days. This study aimed to provide evidence on storage and transport conditions suitable for the detection of RNA or DNA, respectively, of other respiratory viruses, including influenza A, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, rhinovirus and human metapneumovirus, for future recommendations
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