Evaluation of Commercial qPCR Kits for Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Pooled Samples.

Vlad Petrovan,Dan Sebastian Soare,Paula Dimon,Eugen Radu,Mihaela Zaulet,Ana Cristina Bucur,Virgil Vrajmasu

doi:10.3390/diagnostics10070472

Vlad Petrovan, Dan Sebastian Soare + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics10070472

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Abstract

Due to the current pandemic, a global shortage of reagents has drawn interest in developing alternatives to increase the number of coronavirus tests. One such alternative is sample pooling. We compared commercial kits that are used in COVID-19 diagnostics in terms of their sensitivity and feasibility for use in pooling. In this preliminary study, we showed that pooling of up to 80 samples did not affect the efficacy of the kits. Additionally, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene is a more suitable target in pooled samples than the envelope (E) gene. This approach could provide an easy method of screening a large number of samples and help adjust different governmental regulations.

Highlights

The recent emergence of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)in December 2019 from Wuhan, China, has caused more than 11 million cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and an estimate of more than 500,000 associated deaths [1]
We showed that the sensitivity of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in pooled samples was high compared to other targets
The massive scaling up of COVID-19 testing is a temporary solution until acceptable immunity levels are achieved

Summary

Introduction

The recent emergence of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)in December 2019 from Wuhan, China, has caused more than 11 million cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and an estimate of more than 500,000 associated deaths [1]. The recent emergence of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Clinical manifestation of COVID-19 infection is variable, ranging from asymptomatic to severe disease, with symptoms including respiratory distress, fever, cough, dyspnea, and viral pneumonia [2]. Since there is currently no targeted therapeutic against SARS-CoV-2 and clinical manifestations are not disease-specific, diagnostic screening and implementation of strict biosecurity measures issued by governments are currently the only methods limiting the spread of the disease [3]. The most widely used molecular method approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). In the case of a public health emergency, most of the diagnostic laboratories worldwide can rely on this technology to routinely provide services until standardized tests are widely available. The global need for a new surveillance approach reflects the requirement to adapt to the increased demand of large numbers of molecular tests to monitor and adjust the lockdown policies

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