scholarly journals Fast SARS-CoV-2 detection by RT-qPCR in preheated nasopharyngeal swab samples

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Alcoba-Florez ◽  
Rafaela González-Montelongo ◽  
Antonio Íñigo-Campos ◽  
Diego García-Martínez de Artola ◽  
Helena Gil-Campesino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Quantitative Pcr ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Rna Extraction ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Average Increase ◽  
Extraction Step ◽  
One Step ◽  
Standard Tests

AbstractThe current reference for COVID-19 diagnosis is based on the detection of SARS-CoV-2 on RNA extracts using one-step retrotranscription and quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Based on the urgent need for high-throughput COVID-19 screening, we tested the performance of three alternative, simple and affordable protocols to rapidly detect SARS-CoV-2, overcoming the long and tedious RNA extraction step. Although with an average increase of 6.1 (± 1.6) cycles compared to standard tests with RNA extracts, we show that RT-qPCR yielded consistent results in nasopharyngeal swab samples that were subject to a direct 70°C incubation for 10 min. Our findings provide viable options to overcome any supply chain issue and help to increase the throughput of diagnostic tests by using any qPCR device, thereby complementing standard COVID-19 testing.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of different RT-qPCR solutions for SARS-CoV-2 detection

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Alcoba-Florez ◽  
Helena Gil-Campesino ◽  
Diego García-Martínez de Artola ◽  
Rafaela González-Montelongo ◽  
Agustín Valenzuela-Fernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
False Negative ◽  
Rna Extraction ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
False Negatives ◽  
Diagnostic Screening ◽  
Extraction Step ◽  
Wide Variability ◽  
One Step ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

AbstractObjectiveThe ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues imposing a demand for diagnostic screening. In anticipation that the recurrence of outbreaks and the measures for lifting the lockdown worldwide may cause supply chain issues over the coming months, we assessed the sensitivity of a number of one-step retrotranscription and quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) solutions to detect SARS-CoV-2.MethodsWe evaluated six different RT-qPCR alternatives for SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 diagnosis based on standard RNA extractions. That of best sensitivity was also assessed with direct nasopharyngeal swab viral transmission medium (VTM) heating, overcoming the RNA extraction step.ResultsWe found a wide variability in the sensitivity of RT-qPCR solutions that associated with a range of false negatives from as low as 2% (0.3-7.9%) to as much as 39.8% (30.2-50.2). Direct preheating of VTM combined with the best solution provided a sensitivity of 72.5% (62.5-81.0), in the range of some of the solutions based on standard RNA extractions.ConclusionsWe evidenced sensitivity limitations of currently used RT-qPCR solutions. Our results will help to calibrate the impact of false negative diagnoses of COVID-19, and to detect and control new SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks and community transmissions.

scholarly journals Versatile and flexible microfluidic qPCR test for high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 and cellular response detection in nasopharyngeal swab samples

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0243333
Author(s):  
Julien Fassy ◽  
Caroline Lacoux ◽  
Sylvie Leroy ◽  
Latifa Noussair ◽  
Sylvain Hubac ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput ◽  
Cellular Response ◽  
Rna Extraction ◽  
Reference Method ◽  
Proteinase K ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Extraction Step ◽  
Large Populations ◽  
Reaction Volumes

The emergence and quick spread of SARS-CoV-2 has pointed at a low capacity response for testing large populations in many countries, in line of material, technical and staff limitations. The traditional RT-qPCR diagnostic test remains the reference method and is by far the most widely used test. These assays are limited to a few probe sets, require large sample PCR reaction volumes, along with an expensive and time-consuming RNA extraction step. Here we describe a quantitative nanofluidic assay that overcomes some of these shortcomings, based on the BiomarkTM instrument from Fluidigm. This system offers the possibility of performing 4608 qPCR end-points in a single run, equivalent to 192 clinical samples combined with 12 pairs of primers/probe sets in duplicate, thus allowing the monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 including the detection of specific SARS-CoV-2 variants, as well as the detection other pathogens and/or host cellular responses (virus receptors, response markers, microRNAs). The 10 nL-range volume of BiomarkTM reactions is compatible with sensitive and reproducible reactions that can be easily and cost-effectively adapted to various RT-qPCR configurations and sets of primers/probe. Finally, we also evaluated the use of inactivating lysis buffers composed of various detergents in the presence or absence of proteinase K to assess the compatibility of these buffers with a direct reverse transcription enzymatic step and we propose several protocols, bypassing the need for RNA purification. We advocate that the combined utilization of an optimized processing buffer and a high-throughput real-time PCR device would contribute to improve the turn-around-time to deliver the test results to patients and increase the SARS-CoV-2 testing capacities.

scholarly journals Fast SARS-CoV-2 detection protocol based on RNA precipitation and RT-qPCR in nasopharyngeal swab samples

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Xabier Guruceaga ◽  
Amanda Sierra ◽  
Daniel Marino ◽  
Izortze Santin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rna Extraction ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Diagnostic Process ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Extraction Step ◽  
Simple Protocol ◽  
One Step ◽  
Commercial Kits

ABSTRACTThe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has evolved far more aggressively in countries lacking a robust testing strategy to identify infected individuals. Given the global demand for fast and reliable diagnosis to determine the carrier individuals, a stock-out scenario for a number of essential reagents/kits used along the diagnostic process has been foreseen by many organizations. Having identified the RNA extraction step as one of the key bottlenecks, we tested several alternatives that avoid the use of commercial kits for this step. The analysis showed that 2-propanol precipitation of the viral RNA, followed by one-step RT-qPCR results in a sensitivity and specificity comparable to that provided currently by automatized systems such as the COBAS 6800 system. Therefore, this simple protocol allows SARS-CoV-2 testing independently of commercial kit providers in a time and cost-effective manner. It can be readily implemented in research and/or diagnostic laboratories worldwide, provided that patient confidentiality and researcher safety are ensured. Scaling up the testing capabilities of hospitals and research facilities will identify larger numbers of infected individuals to paint a clear picture of the COVID-19 prevalence, a pre-requisite for informed policy decision making.

Effective optimization of SARS-CoV-2 laboratory testing variables in an era of supply chain constraints

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (15) ◽  
pp. 1483-1487
Author(s):  
Nikhil S Sahajpal ◽  
Ashis K Mondal ◽  
Allan Njau ◽  
Sudha Ananth ◽  
Kimya Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Rna Extraction ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Pcr Assay ◽  
Short Supply ◽  
Viral Transport ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Bridging Studies

RT-PCR-based assays for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 have played an essential role in the current COVID-19 pandemic. However, the sample collection and test reagents are in short supply, primarily due to supply chain issues. Thus, to eliminate testing constraints, we have optimized three key process variables: RNA extraction and RT-PCR reactions, different sample types and media to facilitate SARS-CoV-2 testing. By performing various validation and bridging studies, we have shown that various sample types such as nasopharyngeal swab, bronchioalveolar lavage and saliva, collected using conventional nasopharyngeal swabs, ESwab or 3D-printed swabs and, preserved in viral transport media, universal transport media, 0.9% sodium chloride or Amies media are compatible with RT-PCR assay for COVID-19. Besides, the reduction of PCR reagents by up to fourfold also produces reliable results.

scholarly journals Evaluation of an Automated High-Throughput Liquid-Based RNA Extraction Platform on Pooled Nasopharyngeal or Saliva Specimens for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 615
Author(s):  
Allen Wing-Ho Chu ◽  
Cyril Chik-Yan Yip ◽  
Wan-Mui Chan ◽  
Anthony Chin-Ki Ng ◽  
Dream Lok-Sze Chan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nucleic Acid ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Rna Extraction ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Acid Extraction ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Nucleic Acid Extraction ◽  
Suitable Alternative ◽  
Pcr Inhibitors ◽  
Pcr Targeting

SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR with pooled specimens has been implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic as a cost- and manpower-saving strategy for large-scale testing. However, there is a paucity of data on the efficiency of different nucleic acid extraction platforms on pooled specimens. This study compared a novel automated high-throughput liquid-based RNA extraction (LRE) platform (PHASIFYTM) with a widely used magnetic bead-based total nucleic acid extraction (MBTE) platform (NucliSENS® easyMAG®). A total of 60 pools of nasopharyngeal swab and 60 pools of posterior oropharyngeal saliva specimens, each consisting of 1 SARS-CoV-2 positive and 9 SARS-CoV-2 negative specimens, were included for the comparison. Real-time RT-PCR targeting the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp/Hel gene was performed, and GAPDH RT-PCR was used to detect RT-PCR inhibitors. No significant differences were observed in the Ct values and overall RT-PCR positive rates between LRE and MBTE platforms (92.5% (111/120] vs 90% (108/120]), but there was a slightly higher positive rate for LRE (88.3% (53/60]) than MBTE (81.7% (49/60]) among pooled saliva. The automated LRE method is comparable to a standard MBTE method for the detection of SAR-CoV-2 in pooled specimens, providing a suitable alternative automated extraction platform. Furthermore, LRE may be better suited for pooled saliva specimens due to more efficient removal of RT-PCR inhibitors.

scholarly journals Robust Saliva-Based RNA Extraction-Free One-Step Nucleic Acid Amplification Test for Mass SARS-CoV-2 Monitoring

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (21) ◽  
pp. 6617
Author(s):  
Eva Rajh ◽  
Tina Šket ◽  
Arne Praznik ◽  
Petra Sušjan ◽  
Alenka Šmid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Reverse Transcription ◽  
Screening Program ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Rna Extraction ◽  
Diagnostic Sensitivity ◽  
Nucleic Acid Amplification ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Viral Spread ◽  
One Step

Early diagnosis with rapid detection of the virus plays a key role in preventing the spread of infection and in treating patients effectively. In order to address the need for a straightforward detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection and assessment of viral spread, we developed rapid, sensitive, extraction-free one-step reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) tests for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in saliva. We analyzed over 700 matched pairs of saliva and nasopharyngeal swab (NSB) specimens from asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals. Saliva, as either an oral cavity swab or passive drool, was collected in an RNA stabilization buffer. The stabilized saliva specimens were heat-treated and directly analyzed without RNA extraction. The diagnostic sensitivity of saliva-based RT-qPCR was at least 95% in individuals with subclinical infection and outperformed RT-LAMP, which had at least 70% sensitivity when compared to NSBs analyzed with a clinical RT-qPCR test. The diagnostic sensitivity for passive drool saliva was higher than that of oral cavity swab specimens (95% and 87%, respectively). A rapid, sensitive one-step extraction-free RT-qPCR test for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in passive drool saliva is operationally simple and can be easily implemented using existing testing sites, thus allowing high-throughput, rapid, and repeated testing of large populations. Furthermore, saliva testing is adequate to detect individuals in an asymptomatic screening program and can help improve voluntary screening compliance for those individuals averse to various forms of nasal collections.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 detection from nasopharyngeal swab samples without RNA extraction

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Beltrán-Pavez ◽  
Chantal L. Márquez ◽  
Gabriela Muñoz ◽  
Fernando Valiente-Echeverría ◽  
Aldo Gaggero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rna Extraction ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Short Supply ◽  
Extraction Step

AbstractThe ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has reached more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Given the large requirement of SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis and considering that RNA extraction kits are in short supply, we investigated whether two commercial RT-qPCR kits were compatible with direct SARS-CoV-2 detection from nasopharyngeal swab samples. We show that one of the tested kits is fully compatible with direct SARS-CoV-2 detection suggesting that omission of an RNA extraction step should be considered in SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis.

scholarly journals Extraction-free protocol combining proteinase K and heat inactivation for detection of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0247792
Author(s):  
Valeria Genoud ◽  
Martin Stortz ◽  
Ariel Waisman ◽  
Bruno G. Berardino ◽  
Paula Verneri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rna Extraction ◽  
Standard Technique ◽  
Proteinase K ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Heat Inactivation ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Reverse Transcription Pcr ◽  
Extraction Step ◽  
Commercial Kits ◽  
Inexpensive Procedure

Real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) is the gold-standard technique for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection in nasopharyngeal swabs specimens. The analysis by RT-qPCR usually requires a previous extraction step to obtain the purified viral RNA. Unfortunately, RNA extraction constitutes a bottleneck for early detection in many countries since it is expensive, time-consuming and depends on the availability of commercial kits. Here, we describe an extraction-free protocol for SARS-CoV-2 detection by RT-qPCR from nasopharyngeal swab clinical samples in saline solution. The method includes a treatment with proteinase K followed by heat inactivation (PK+HID method). We demonstrate that PK+HID improves the RT-qPCR performance in comparison to the heat-inactivation procedure. Moreover, we show that this extraction-free protocol can be combined with a variety of multiplexing RT-qPCR kits. The method combined with a multiplexing detection kit targeting N and ORF1ab viral genes showed a sensitivity of 0.99 and a specificity of 0.99 from the analysis of 106 positive and 106 negative clinical samples. In conclusion, PK+HID is a robust, fast and inexpensive procedure for extraction-free RT-qPCR determinations of SARS-CoV-2. The National Administration of Drugs, Foods and Medical Devices of Argentina has recently authorized the use of this method.

scholarly journals Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infections in times of material shortage

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thaisa Lucas Sandri ◽  
Juliana Inoue ◽  
Johanna Geiger ◽  
Johanna-Marie Griesbaum ◽  
Constanze Heizel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Reverse Transcription ◽  
Gold Standard ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Rna Extraction ◽  
Current Period ◽  
Intercalating Dye ◽  
One Step ◽  
Classical Protocol ◽  
Commercial Kit

AbstractThe pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 resulted in increasing demands for diagnostic tests, leading to a shortage of recommended testing materials and reagents. This study reports on the performance of self-sampled alternative swabbing material (ordinary Q-tips tested against flocked swab and rayon swab), of reagents for classical RNA extraction (phenol/guanidine-based protocol against a commercial kit), and of intercalating dye-based one-step quantitative reverse transcription real-time PCRs (RT-qPCR) compared against the gold standard hydrolysis probe-based assays for SARS-CoV-2 detection. The study found sampling with Q-tips, RNA extraction with classical protocol and intercalating dye-based RT-qPCR as a reliable and comparably sensitive strategy for detection of SARS-CoV-2 - particularly valuable in the current period with a resurgent and dramatic increase in SARS-CoV-2 infections and growing shortage of diagnostic materials as well for regions limited in resources.

scholarly journals Complementary methods for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis in times of material shortage

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thaisa Lucas Sandri ◽  
Juliana Inoue ◽  
Johanna Geiger ◽  
Johanna-Marie Griesbaum ◽  
Constanze Heinzel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Reverse Transcription ◽  
Gold Standard ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Rna Extraction ◽  
Current Period ◽  
Intercalating Dye ◽  
One Step ◽  
Classical Protocol ◽  
Commercial Kit

AbstractThe pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 resulted in increasing demands for diagnostic tests, leading to a shortage of recommended testing materials and reagents. This study reports on the performance of self-sampled alternative swabbing material (ordinary Q-tips tested against flocked swab and rayon swab), of reagents for classical RNA extraction (phenol/guanidine-based protocol against a commercial kit), and of intercalating dye-based one-step quantitative reverse transcription real-time PCRs (RT-qPCR) compared against the gold standard hydrolysis probe-based assays for SARS-CoV-2 detection. The study found sampling with Q-tips, RNA extraction with classical protocol and intercalating dye-based RT-qPCR as a reliable and comparably sensitive strategy for detection of SARS-CoV-2—particularly valuable in the current period with a resurgent and dramatic increase in SARS-CoV-2 infections and growing shortage of diagnostic materials especially for regions limited in resources.

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