tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
BMC Res Notes
. 2023 Sep 11;16(1):210.
doi: 10.1186/s13104-023-06497-7. Correlation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and nucleocapsid concentrations in samples used in INSTAND external quality assessment schemes
Esmeralda Valiente[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Samreen Falak[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Andreas Kummrow[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Martin Kammel[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Victor M Corman[SUP] 5 6 [/SUP], Rainer Macdonald[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Heinz Zeichhardt[SUP] 3 7 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Objective: In routine clinical laboratories, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection is determined by reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR). In the COVID pandemic, a wide range of antigen detection tests were also in high demand. We investigated the correlation between SARS-CoV-2 NCap antigen and N gene concentration by analyzing samples from several INSTAND external quality assessment (EQA) schemes starting in March 2021. The absolute N gene concentration was measured using reverse transcriptase digital PCR (RT-dPCR) as reference value. Moreover, the performance of five commercial ELISA tests using an EQA inactivated SARS-CoV-2 sample at different concentrations was assessed on the basis of these reference values.
Results: Quantitative ELISA and RT-dPCR results showed a good correlation between SARS-CoV-2 NCap antigen and RNA concentration, but this correlation varies among SARS-CoV-2 isolates. A direct correlation between SARS-CoV-2 NCap antigen concentration and genome concentration should not be generally assumed.
Conclusion: Further correlation studies between SARS-CoV-2 RNA and NCap antigen concentrations are needed, particularly in clinical samples and for emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, to support the monitoring and improvement of antigen testing.
Keywords: ELISA; Nucleocapsid (NCap) antigen; Quantification; RNA; RT-dPCR; SARS-CoV-2.
. 2023 Sep 11;16(1):210.
doi: 10.1186/s13104-023-06497-7. Correlation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and nucleocapsid concentrations in samples used in INSTAND external quality assessment schemes
Esmeralda Valiente[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Samreen Falak[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Andreas Kummrow[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Martin Kammel[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Victor M Corman[SUP] 5 6 [/SUP], Rainer Macdonald[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Heinz Zeichhardt[SUP] 3 7 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 37697348
- DOI: 10.1186/s13104-023-06497-7
Objective: In routine clinical laboratories, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection is determined by reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR). In the COVID pandemic, a wide range of antigen detection tests were also in high demand. We investigated the correlation between SARS-CoV-2 NCap antigen and N gene concentration by analyzing samples from several INSTAND external quality assessment (EQA) schemes starting in March 2021. The absolute N gene concentration was measured using reverse transcriptase digital PCR (RT-dPCR) as reference value. Moreover, the performance of five commercial ELISA tests using an EQA inactivated SARS-CoV-2 sample at different concentrations was assessed on the basis of these reference values.
Results: Quantitative ELISA and RT-dPCR results showed a good correlation between SARS-CoV-2 NCap antigen and RNA concentration, but this correlation varies among SARS-CoV-2 isolates. A direct correlation between SARS-CoV-2 NCap antigen concentration and genome concentration should not be generally assumed.
Conclusion: Further correlation studies between SARS-CoV-2 RNA and NCap antigen concentrations are needed, particularly in clinical samples and for emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, to support the monitoring and improvement of antigen testing.
Keywords: ELISA; Nucleocapsid (NCap) antigen; Quantification; RNA; RT-dPCR; SARS-CoV-2.