• FluTrackers.com Inc. does not provide medical advice. Information on this web site is collected from various internet resources, and the FluTrackers board of directors makes no warranty to the safety, efficacy, correctness or completeness of the information posted on this site by any author or poster. The information collated here is for instructional and/or discussion purposes only and is NOT intended to diagnose or treat any disease, illness, or other medical condition. Every individual reader or poster should seek advice from their personal physician/healthcare practitioner before considering or using any interventions that are discussed on this website. By continuing to access this website you agree to consult your personal physican before using any interventions posted on this website, and you agree to hold harmless FluTrackers.com Inc., the board of directors, the members, and all authors and posters for any effects from use of any medication, supplement, vitamin or other substance, device, intervention, etc. mentioned in posts on this website, or other internet venues referenced in posts on this website.
  • We are not asking for any donations. Do not donate to any entity who says they are raising funds for us.

Int J Infect Dis . Prospective Study of 1,308 Nasopharyngeal Swabs from 1,033 Patients using the LUMIPULSE SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Test: Comparison with

tetano

Editor, Senior Moderator
Int J Infect Dis


. 2021 Feb 5;S1201-9712(21)00090-4.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.02.005. Online ahead of print.
Prospective Study of 1,308 Nasopharyngeal Swabs from 1,033 Patients using the LUMIPULSE SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Test: Comparison with RT-qPCR


Yosuke Hirotsu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Makoto Maejima[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Masahiro Shibusawa[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Kenji Amemiya[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Yuki Nagakubo[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Kazuhiro Hosaka[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Hitomi Sueki[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Miyoko Hayakawa[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Hitoshi Mochizuki[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Toshiharu Tsutsui[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Yumiko Kakizaki[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Yoshihiro Miyashita[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Masao Omata[SUP] 8 [/SUP]



Affiliations
Free PMC article

Abstract

Background: Reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) is the gold standard for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection. Previously, we demonstrated the accuracy of the quantitative LUMIPULSE SARS-CoV-2 antigen test using samples collected retrospectively. Here, the antigen test was clinically validated using prospective samples.
Methods: A total of 1,033 nasopharyngeal swab samples were collected 1,033 individuals and an additional 275 follow-up samples were collected from 43 patients who later tested positive for COVID-19. All 1,308 samples were subjected to quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) and the LUMIPULSE antigen test. Antibody response was investigated for patients with discordant results to clarify whether seroconversion had occurred.
Results: RT-qPCR identified 990 samples as negative and 43 as positive, while the antigen test identified 992 as negative, 37 as positive, and 4 as inconclusive. The overall concordance rate was 99.7% (1,026/1,029). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the antigen test were 92.5% (37/40), 100% (989/989), 100% (37/37) and of 99.7% (989/992), respectively, after excluding the four inconclusive results. The kappa coefficient was 0.960 (95% confidence interval, 0.892-0.960), suggesting excellent agreement between the two tests. The seropositive in five out of the seven patients with discordant results suggested that the discrepancy was caused by samples collected during the late phase of infection. Using the follow-up samples, we observed a correlation between the antigen level and the viral load or threshold cycle (Ct) value. The concordance rate between these test results tended to be high among samples collected up to 9 days after symptom onset but this gradually decreased thereafter.
Conclusions: This prospective study demonstrated that the LUMIPULSE antigen test is a highly accurate diagnostic for SARS-CoV-2.

Keywords: COVID-19; LUMIPULSE; RT-qPCR; SARS-CoV-2; antigen.
 
Back
Top Bottom