Rapid Test Antigen Research Articles

Comparison of Two SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to spread worldwide. A quick, simple, and accurate test to diagnose COVID-19 is essential for this situation. This study aims to evaluate and compare the rapid antigen examination of SARS-CoV-2 with Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) in detecting SARS-CoV-2. A retrospective study with a cross-sectional approach using medical record data from suspected, controlled, and confirmed COVID-19 patients whose samples were taken simultaneously for rapid antigen examination of SARS-CoV-2 (SD-Biosensor and Lungene) and RT-PCR at Labuang Baji Hospital, Makassar from September 2020-September 2021. Each instrument's sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value were analyzed with the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve method. This study obtained data from 312 rapid antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2, divided into two categories, 98 using Lungene and 214 using SD-Biosensor. Rapid antigen Lungene had a sensitivity of 71.4%, specificity of 71.4%, an accuracy of 71.4%, and a 31 reactive result in CT value. The SD-Biosensor Rapid antigen had a sensitivity of 62.6%, a specificity of 99.1%, an accuracy of 82.2%, and a 26 reactive result in CT value. In summary, the sensitivity of rapid antigen Lungene is higher than SD-Biosensor. Specificity and accuracy of rapid antigen SD-Biosensor higher than Lungene. Rapid test antigen SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to be a screening test for COVID-19 as long as the sampling time is right.

Rapid Environmental Monitoring, Capture, and Destruction Activities of SARS-CoV-2 and Bacterial Pathogens During the COVID-19 Health Emergency.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is a health emergency for occupational healthcare workers at COVID-19 hospital wards in Italy. The objective of the study was to investigate the bioreactor's effectivity in monitoring and improving air quality via detection, capture, and destruction of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and bacterial pathogens, reducing the risk of transmission among healthcare workers. Bioreactors are a demonstrated effective biomonitoring system. We implemented a methodological approach wherein they were placed at various hospitals treating COVID-19 patients in Italy. The detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was achieved through rapid biomonitoring testing of the solutes from the AIRcel bioreactors via SARS-CoV-2 rapid test antigen and consecutive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis with the multiplex platform (XABT) and the real-time PCR rotor-gene. The marked presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was found in multiple water samples via the detection of ORF1ab + N and/or E gene involved in gene expression and cellular signaling of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The AIRcel bioreactors were able to neutralize the virus and bacterial pathogens effectively as traces of the viruses and bacteria were no longer found in multiple solute samples after an overnight period. Transmission of COVID-19 via bioaerosols, transmitted by infected patients, remains a viable threat for health workers. AIRcel bioreactors allow for rapid biomonitoring testing for early virus detection within the environment, reducing the risk of exponential contagion exposure and maintaining good air quality without endangering health workers. This sameprotocol can also be extended to public spaces as a bio-monitoring hotspot tool for early detection.

Vaccination and Factors Related to the Clinical Outcome of COVID-19 in Healthcare Workers-A Romanian Front-Line Hospital's Experience.

The study aims to describe the frequency of COVID-19 in healthcare workers (HCWs) in a designated hospital for COVID-19 treatment in Bucharest, Romania, and to explore COVID-19 vaccination and other factors associated with the clinical outcome. We actively surveyed all HCWs from 26 February 2020 to 31 December 2021. Cases were laboratory-confirmed with RT-PCR or rapid test antigen. Epidemiological, demographic, clinical outcomes, vaccination status, and co-morbidities data were collected. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel, SPSS, and MedCalc. A total of 490 cases of COVID-19 in HCWs were diagnosed. The comparison groups were related to the severity of the clinical outcome: the non-severe group (279, 64.65%) included mild and asymptomatic cases, and the potentially severe group included moderate and severe cases. Significant differences between groups were registered for high-risk departments (p = 0.0003), exposure to COVID-19 patients (p = 0.0003, vaccination (p = 0.0003), and the presence of co-morbidities (p < 0.0001). Age, obesity, anemia, and exposure to COVID-19 patients predicted the severity of the clinical outcomes (χ2 (4, n = 425) = 65.69, p < 0.001). The strongest predictors were anemia and obesity (OR 5.82 and 4.94, respectively). In HCWs, mild COVID-19 cases were more frequent than severe cases. Vaccination history, exposure, and individual risk influenced the clinical outcome suggesting that measures to protect HCWs and occupational medicine are important for pandemic preparedness.

Screening of COVID-19 Using Rapid Test Before Gastrointestinal Procedures; Experience in a Limited Resource Hospital

Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging disease announced by World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic disease since March 2020. Several international guidelines suggested use of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test as screening tool before starting gastrointestinal (GI) procedures. Although RT-PCR is a gold standard, it has limitation as it is expensive and requires special expertise therefore difficult to implement in limited resource hospitals. Due to lack of RT-PCR tests available and in accordance with Indonesian government regulation, thirty patients in a tertiary referred hospital in Banda Aceh were screened with rapid test antigen and antibody for COVID-19 before underwent emergency and urgency GI procedures such as endoscopy, colonoscopy and abdominal ultrasonography. Several laboratory parameters and chest X-ray in all patients were assessed. All health care workers in procedure room were also tested with rapid antigen 1 week after the procedures. The study showed that laboratory parameters and chest X-ray were relatively normal for all patients. All procedures were conducted safely and leave no new COVID-19 case amongst health care workers. In conclusion, rapid test can be used in hospitals with limited resources, although RT-PCR test is still needed to confirm COVID-19 cases. Safe GI procedures can still be performed in limited resource hospital, although the possibility for disease transmission is still high. A modified guideline is needed in these hospitals in order to conduct safe GI procedures.

Cost and effectiveness analysis of the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches of group A Streptococcus pharyngitis management in Iran.

Background:A sore throat is one of the common causes behind visits to the physician and antibiotic overtreatment in the world, especially in Iran. There are six ways of approaching pharyngitis patients. It is necessary to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis and find the best approach in all situations on group A streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis management to propose a pharyngitis guideline.Method:The decision tree of managing pharyngitis and its complications was drawn. The probability of every status and the branches of the tree were derived from the literature, and the cost of related diseases and complications were calculated based on the dossiers of the patients in two main pediatric central hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Further, cost-effectiveness, sensitivity, and threshold analyses were conducted to find out the best management strategy. Moreover, for a situation analysis of pharyngitis management in Iran, a questionnaire was designed and given to general practitioners and pediatricians; 130 subjects responded to it. The results were then analyzed.Results:The rapid test antigen (RTA) and culture strategy were proved to have the highest effect on the quality-adjusted life year. In addition, a less expensive strategy was solely observed to be the RTA. The worst effect gained (most quality-adjusted lost days) was, however, from the “treat none” strategy.Conclusion:According to our cost-effectiveness analysis, the best management of pharyngitis occurs in RTA alone, followed slightly by culture strategies; the “RTA then culture if needed” and “RTA and culture” approaches become possible options after them. The “treat all” and “treat none” approaches, however, were not proper strategies in any case.