tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Clin Chim Acta
. 2020 Nov 4;S0009-8981(20)30514-3.
doi: 10.1016/j.cca.2020.10.032. Online ahead of print.
Digital PCR is a sensitive new technique for SARS-CoV-2 detection in clinical applications
Yanfang Jiang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Haifeng Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sijia Hao[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yukun Chen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jiaxue He[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yong Liu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Liguo Chen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yuanhua Yu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Shucheng Hua[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed great challenges in people's daily lives. Highly sensitive laboratory techniques played a critical role in clinical COVID-19 diagnosis and management. In this study the feasibility of using a new digital PCR-based detection assay for clinical COVID-19 diagnosis was investigated by comparing its performance with that of RT-PCR. Clinical patient samples and samples obtained from potentially contaminated environments were analyzed. The study included 10 patients with confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses, 32 validated samples of various types derived from different clinical timepoints and sites, and 148 environmentally derived samples. SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acids were more readily detected in respiratory tract samples (35.0%). In analyses of environmentally derived samples, the positivity rate of air samples was higher than that of surface samples, probably due to differences in virus concentrations. Digital PCR detected SARS-CoV-2 in several samples that had previously been deemed negative, including 3 patient-derived samples and 5 environmentally derived samples. In this study digital PCR exhibited higher sensitivity than conventional RT-PCR, suggesting that it may be a useful new method for clinical SARS-CoV-2 detection. Improvement of SARS-CoV-2 detection would substantially reduce the rates of false-negative COVID-19 test results, in particular those pertaining to asymptomatic carriers.
Keywords: COVID-19; RT-PCR; SARS-CoV-2; asymptomatic carrier; digital PCR; false-negative results.
. 2020 Nov 4;S0009-8981(20)30514-3.
doi: 10.1016/j.cca.2020.10.032. Online ahead of print.
Digital PCR is a sensitive new technique for SARS-CoV-2 detection in clinical applications
Yanfang Jiang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Haifeng Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sijia Hao[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yukun Chen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jiaxue He[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yong Liu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Liguo Chen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yuanhua Yu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Shucheng Hua[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33159953
- DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2020.10.032
Abstract
The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed great challenges in people's daily lives. Highly sensitive laboratory techniques played a critical role in clinical COVID-19 diagnosis and management. In this study the feasibility of using a new digital PCR-based detection assay for clinical COVID-19 diagnosis was investigated by comparing its performance with that of RT-PCR. Clinical patient samples and samples obtained from potentially contaminated environments were analyzed. The study included 10 patients with confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses, 32 validated samples of various types derived from different clinical timepoints and sites, and 148 environmentally derived samples. SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acids were more readily detected in respiratory tract samples (35.0%). In analyses of environmentally derived samples, the positivity rate of air samples was higher than that of surface samples, probably due to differences in virus concentrations. Digital PCR detected SARS-CoV-2 in several samples that had previously been deemed negative, including 3 patient-derived samples and 5 environmentally derived samples. In this study digital PCR exhibited higher sensitivity than conventional RT-PCR, suggesting that it may be a useful new method for clinical SARS-CoV-2 detection. Improvement of SARS-CoV-2 detection would substantially reduce the rates of false-negative COVID-19 test results, in particular those pertaining to asymptomatic carriers.
Keywords: COVID-19; RT-PCR; SARS-CoV-2; asymptomatic carrier; digital PCR; false-negative results.