1. Overcoming limitations in the availability of swabs systems used for SARS-CoV-2 laboratory diagnostics.
- Author
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Nairz, Manfred, Bellmann-Weiler, Rosa, Ladstätter, Miriam, Schüllner, Falko, Zimmermann, Martina, Koller, Anna-Maria, Blunder, Silvia, Naschberger, Helene, Klotz, Werner, Herold, Manfred, Kerndler, Sylvia, Jeske, Martina, Haschka, David, Petzer, Verena, Schroll, Andrea, Sonnweber, Thomas, Tancevski, Ivan, Fritsche, Gernot, de Araujo, Mariana E. G., and Stasyk, Taras
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COVID-19 testing , *REVERSE transcriptase polymerase chain reaction , *NUCLEOTIDE sequence , *LABORATORY equipment & supplies , *CLINICAL pathology - Abstract
The diagnosis of COVID-19 relies on the direct detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in respiratory specimens by RT-PCR. The pandemic spread of the disease caused an imbalance between demand and supply of materials and reagents needed for diagnostic purposes including swab sets. In a comparative effectiveness study, we conducted serial follow-up swabs in hospitalized laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients. We assessed the diagnostic performance of an in-house system developed according to recommendations by the US CDC. In a total of 96 serial swabs, we found significant differences in the accuracy of the different swab systems to generate a positive result in SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR, ranging from around 50 to 80%. Of note, an in-house swab system was superior to most commercially available sets as reflected by significantly lower Ct values of viral genes. Thus, a simple combination of broadly available materials may enable diagnostic laboratories to bypass global limitations in the supply of swab sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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