Abstract
To validate the specimen-pooling strategy for real-time reverse transcription PCR detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, we generated different pools including positive specimens, reflecting the distribution of cycle threshold values at initial diagnosis. Cumulative sensitivities of tested pool sizes suggest pooling of <6 specimens for surveillance by this method.
Highlights
To validate the specimen-pooling strategy for real-time reverse transcription PCR detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, we generated different pools including positive specimens, reflecting the distribution of cycle threshold values at initial diagnosis
Laboratory diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection was performed with all specimens using the following reverse transcription PCR (rRT-PCR) kits targeting the E and RdRp genes: STANDARD M nCoV Real-time Detection (SD Biosensor, https://sdbiosensor.com) or PowerCheck 2019-nCoV Real-Time Detection (Kogene Biotech, https://kogene.co.kr)
For the SARS-CoV-2–positive pooled specimens, we selected 50 individual SARS-CoV-2–positive specimens on the basis of the observed population distribution of cycle threshold (Ct) values of rRT-PCR for patients confirmed positive during January 20–March 2, 2020 (Figure 1)
Summary
To validate the specimen-pooling strategy for real-time reverse transcription PCR detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, we generated different pools including positive specimens, reflecting the distribution of cycle threshold values at initial diagnosis. Testing pooled specimens is a well-known method and has been used in blood banks worldwide to screen for infectious disease; only a few Author affiliations: National Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea (S.Y. Kim); Jeonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Jeonju, South Korea Studies have evaluated specimen pooling for SARSCoV-2
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