scholarly journals A novel RT-LAMP workflow for rapid salivary diagnostics of COVID-19 and effects of age, gender and time from symptom onset

Author(s):  
Gerson Shigeru Kobayashi ◽  
Luciano Abreu Brito ◽  
Danielle De Paula Moreira ◽  
Angela May Suzuki ◽  
Gabriella Shih Ping Hsia ◽  
...  

Objectives: Rapid diagnostics is pivotal to curb SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and saliva has emerged as a practical alternative to naso/oropharyngeal (NOP) specimens. We aimed to develop a direct RT-LAMP workflow for viral detection in saliva, and to provide more information regarding its potential in COVID-19 diagnostics. Methods: Clinical and contrived specimens were used to screen/optimize formulations and sample processing protocols. Salivary viral load was determined in symptomatic patients to evaluate clinical performance (n = 90) and to characterize saliva based on age, gender and time from onset of symptoms (n = 49). Results: The devised workflow achieved 93.2% sensitivity, 97% specificity, and 0.895 Kappa for salivas containing >102 copies/μL. Further analyses in saliva showed peak viral load in the first days of symptoms and lower viral loads in females, particularly among young individuals (<38 years). NOP RT-PCR data did not yield relevant associations. Conclusions: This novel saliva RT-LAMP workflow can be applied to point-of-care testing. This work reinforces that saliva better correlates with transmission dynamics than NOP specimens, and reveals gender differences that may reflect higher transmission by males. To maximize detection, testing should be done immediately after symptom onset, especially in females.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Stokes ◽  
Byron Berenger ◽  
Danielle Portnoy ◽  
Brittney Scott ◽  
Jonas Szelewicki ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Point of Care Testing (POCT) SARS-CoV-2 antigen tests, such as the Abbott Panbio, have great potential to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The Panbio is United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in symptomatic individuals within the first 7 days of COVID-19 symptom onset(s). METHODS Symptomatic adults recently diagnosed with COVID-19 in the community were recruited into the study. Paired nasopharyngeal (NP), throat, and saliva swabs were collected, with one paired swab tested immediately with the Panbio, and the other transported in universal transport media and tested using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Positive percent agreement (PPA) was calculated. Subsequently, individuals within 7 days of symptom onset who presented to community assessment centres for SARS-CoV-2 testing had Panbio testing completed and paired with RT-PCR results from parallel NP or throat swabs. RESULTS 145 individuals were included in the study. Collection of throat and saliva was stopped early due to poor performance (throat PPA 57.7%, n=61, and saliva PPA 2.6%, n=41). NP swab PPA was 87.7% [n=145, 95% confidence interval 81.0% - 92.7%]. There were 1,641 symptomatic individuals tested by Panbio in community assessment centres, with 268/1641 (16.3%) positive for SARS-CoV-2. There were 37 false negatives, corresponding to a PPA of 86.2% [81.5% - 90.1%]. CONCLUSIONS The Panbio test reliably detects most cases of SARS-CoV-2 from adults in the POCT community setting presenting within 7 days of symptom onset using nasopharyngeal swabs. Throat and saliva swabs are not reliable specimens for the Panbio.


Author(s):  
Felix Buder ◽  
Markus Bauswein ◽  
Clara L Magnus ◽  
Franz Audebert ◽  
Henriette Lang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background From a public health perspective, effective containment strategies for SARS-CoV-2 should be balanced with individual liberties. Methods We collected 79 respiratory samples from 59 patients monitored in an outpatient center or in the intensive care unit of the University Hospital Regensburg. We analyzed viral load by quantitative real-time PCR, viral antigen by point-of-care assay, time since onset of symptoms and presence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in the context of virus isolation from respiratory specimen. Results The odds ratio for virus isolation increased 1.9-fold for each log10 level of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and 7.4-fold with detection of viral antigen, while it decreased 6.3-fold beyond 10 days of symptoms and 20.0-fold with presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The latter was confirmed for B.1.1.7 strains. The positive predictive value for virus isolation was 60.0% for viral loads above 10 7 RNA copies/mL and 50.0% for the presence of viral antigen. Symptom onset before 10 days and seroconversion predicted lack of infectivity with 93.8% and 96.0%. Conclusions Our data support quarantining patients with high viral load and detection of viral antigen, and lifting restrictive measures with increasing time to symptom onset and seroconversion. Delay of antibody formation may prolong infectivity.


Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1400
Author(s):  
Gerson Shigeru Kobayashi ◽  
Luciano Abreu Brito ◽  
Danielle de Paula Moreira ◽  
Angela May Suzuki ◽  
Gabriella Shih Ping Hsia ◽  
...  

Rapid diagnostics is pivotal to curb SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and saliva has emerged as a practical alternative to naso/oropharyngeal (NOP) specimens. We aimed to develop a direct RT-LAMP (reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification) workflow for viral detection in saliva, and to provide more information regarding its potential in curbing COVID-19 transmission. Clinical and contrived specimens were used to optimize formulations and sample processing protocols. Salivary viral load was determined in symptomatic patients to evaluate the clinical performance of the test and to characterize saliva based on age, gender and time from onset of symptoms. Our workflow achieved an overall sensitivity of 77.2% (n = 90), with 93.2% sensitivity, 97% specificity, and 0.895 Kappa for specimens containing >102 copies/μL (n = 77). Further analyses in saliva showed that viral load peaks in the first days of symptoms and decreases afterwards, and that viral load is ~10 times lower in females compared to males, and declines following symptom onset. NOP RT-PCR data did not yield relevant associations. This work suggests that saliva reflects the transmission dynamics better than NOP specimens, and reveals gender differences that may reflect higher transmission by males. This saliva RT-LAMP workflow can be applied to track viral spread and, to maximize detection, testing should be performed immediately after symptoms are presented, especially in females.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Stokes ◽  
Byron M. Berenger ◽  
Danielle Portnoy ◽  
Brittney Scott ◽  
Jonas Szelewicki ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Point of Care SARS-CoV-2 antigen tests, such as the Abbott Panbio, have great potential to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The Panbio is Health Canada approved for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in symptomatic individuals within the first 7 days of COVID-19 symptom onset(s). METHODS Symptomatic adults recently diagnosed with COVID-19 in the community were recruited into the study. Paired nasopharyngeal (NP), throat, and saliva swabs were collected, with one paired swab tested immediately with the Panbio, and the other transported in universal transport media and tested using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We also prospectively evaluated results from assessment centres. For those individuals, an NP swab was collected for Panbio testing and paired with RT-PCR results from parallel NP or throat swabs. RESULTS 145 individuals were included in the study. Collection of throat and saliva was stopped early due to poorer performance (throat sensitivity 57.7%, n = 61, and saliva sensitivity 2.6%, n = 41). NP swab sensitivity was 87.7% [n = 145, 95% confidence interval (CI) 81.0% − 92.7%]. There were 1,641 symptomatic individuals tested by Panbio in assessment centres, with 268/1641 (16.3%) positive for SARS-CoV-2. There were 37 false negatives and 2 false positives, corresponding to a sensitivity and specificity of 86.1% [95% CI 81.3% − 90.0%] and 99.9% [95% CI 99.5% − 100.0%], respectively. CONCLUSIONS The Panbio test reliably detects most cases of SARS-CoV-2 from adults in the community setting presenting within 7 days of symptom onset using nasopharyngeal swabs. Throat and saliva swabs are not reliable specimens for the Panbio.


Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 363
Author(s):  
Vânia M. Moreira ◽  
Paulo Mascarenhas ◽  
Vanessa Machado ◽  
João Botelho ◽  
José João Mendes ◽  
...  

The rapid and accurate testing of SARS-CoV-2 infection is still crucial to mitigate, and eventually halt, the spread of this disease. Currently, nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) and oropharyngeal swab (OPS) are the recommended standard sampling techniques, yet, these have some limitations such as the complexity of collection. Hence, several other types of specimens that are easier to obtain are being tested as alternatives to nasal/throat swabs in nucleic acid assays for SARS-CoV-2 detection. This study aims to critically appraise and compare the clinical performance of RT-PCR tests using oral saliva, deep-throat saliva/posterior oropharyngeal saliva (DTS/POS), sputum, urine, feces, and tears/conjunctival swab (CS) against standard specimens (NPS, OPS, or a combination of both). In this systematic review and meta-analysis, five databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ClinicalTrial.gov and NIPH Clinical Trial) were searched up to the 30th of December, 2020. Case-control and cohort studies on the detection of SARS-CoV-2 were included. The methodological quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 (QUADAS 2). We identified 1560 entries, 33 of which (1.1%) met all required criteria and were included for the quantitative data analysis. Saliva presented the higher accuracy, 92.1% (95% CI: 70.0–98.3), with an estimated sensitivity of 83.9% (95% CI: 77.4–88.8) and specificity of 96.4% (95% CI: 89.5–98.8). DTS/POS samples had an overall accuracy of 79.7% (95% CI: 43.3–95.3), with an estimated sensitivity of 90.1% (95% CI: 83.3–96.9) and specificity of 63.1% (95% CI: 36.8–89.3). The remaining index specimens could not be adequately assessed given the lack of studies available. Our meta-analysis shows that saliva samples from the oral region provide a high sensitivity and specificity; therefore, these appear to be the best candidates for alternative specimens to NPS/OPS in SARS-CoV-2 detection, with suitable protocols for swab-free sample collection to be determined and validated in the future. The distinction between oral and extra-oral salivary samples will be crucial, since DTS/POS samples may induce a higher rate of false positives. Urine, feces, tears/CS and sputum seem unreliable for diagnosis. Saliva testing may increase testing capacity, ultimately promoting the implementation of truly deployable COVID-19 tests, which could either work at the point-of-care (e.g. hospitals, clinics) or at outbreak control spots (e.g., schools, airports, and nursing homes).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabell Wagenhaeuser ◽  
Kerstin Knies ◽  
Vera Rauschenberger ◽  
Michael Eisenmann ◽  
Miriam McDonogh ◽  
...  

Background Antigen rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) for SARS-CoV-2 are fast, broadly available, and inexpensive. Despite this, reliable clinical performance data is sparse. Methods In a prospective performance evaluation study, RDT from three manufacturers (NADAL, Panbio, MEDsan) were compared to quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in 5 068 oropharyngeal swabs for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in a hospital setting. Viral load was derived from standardized RT-qPCR Cycle threshold (Ct) values. The data collection period ranged from November 12, 2020 to February 28, 2021. Findings Overall, sensitivity of RDT compared to RT-qPCR was 42.57% (95% CI 33.38%-52.31%), and specificity 99.68% (95% CI 99.48%-99.80%). Sensitivity declined with decreasing viral load from 100% in samples with a deduced viral load of 10^8 SARS-CoV-2 RNA copies per ml to 8.82% in samples with a viral load lower than 104 SARS-CoV-2 RNA copies per ml. No significant differences in sensitivity or specificity could be observed between the three manufacturers, or between samples with and without spike protein variant B.1.1.7. The NPV in the study cohort was 98.84%; the PPV in persons with typical COVID-19 symptoms was 97.37%, and 28.57% in persons without or with atypical symptoms. Interpretation RDT are a reliable method to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infection in persons with high viral load. RDT are a valuable addition to RT-qPCR testing, as they reliably detect infectious persons with high viral loads before RT-qPCR results are available. Funding German Federal Ministry for Education and Science (BMBF), Free State of Bavaria


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Zhang ◽  
Guoqing Wang ◽  
Xiaolong Zong ◽  
Jinghua Sun

BACKGROUND With advances in mobile technology, smartphone-based point-of-care testing (POCT) urinalysis hold great potential for disease screening and health management for clinicians and individual users. The POCT devices need to have good analytical and clinical performance, but data are lacking. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to evaluate the analytical performance of smartphone-based Hipee S2 POCT urine dipstick analyser. METHODS A total of 1,603 urine samples from three hospitals were collected. Precision, drift, carry-over, interference, and method comparison of Hipee S2 were evaluated. RESULTS The precision for each parameter, assessed by control materials, was acceptable. No sample carry-over or drift was observed. Ascorbate solution with 1 g/L had an inhibitory effect for the haemoglobin test. Agreement for specific gravity (SG) varied between moderate to substantial, for pondus hydrogenii (pH) was moderate, and for other parameters varied between substantial to excellent, on comparing the results obtained by Hipee S2 with those measured by laboratory reference analysers. The semi-quantitative results of microalbumin and creatinine were highly correlated with the quantitative results. CONCLUSIONS Hipee S2 POCT urine analyser showed acceptable analytical performance as a semi-quantitative method. It serves as a convenient alternate device for clinicians and individual users for urinalysis and health management.


Author(s):  
Fadi Haddad ◽  
Christopher C Lamb ◽  
Ravina Kullar ◽  
George Sakoulas

Background: Covid-19 remains a pandemic with multiple challenges to confirm patient infectivity: lack of sufficient tests, accurate results, validated quality, and timeliness of results. We hypothesize that a rapid 15-minute Point-Of-Care serological test to evaluate past infection complements diagnostic testing for Covid-19 and significantly enhances testing availability. Method: A three arm observational study at Sharp Healthcare, San Diego, California was conducted using the Clungene® lateral flow immunoassay (LFI) and compared with the Cobas® Roche RT PCR results. Arm 1: Thirty-five (35) subjects with confirmed Covid-19 using RT-PCR were tested twice: prior to 14 days following symptom onset and once between 12 and 70 days. Arm 2: Thirty (30) subjects with confirmed Covid-19 using RT-PCR were tested 12-70 days post symptom onset. Arm 3: Thirty (30) subjects with a negative RT-PCR for Covid-19 were tested 1-10 days following the RT-PCR test date. Results: Specificity of confirmed negative Covid-19 by RT-PCR was 100% (95% CI, 88.4%-100.0%); meaning there was 100% negative positive agreement between the RT-PCR and the Clungene® serological test results. Covid-19 subjects tested prior to day 7 symptom onset were antibody negative. In subjects 7-12 days following symptom onset with a confirmed positive Covid-19 by RT-PCR, the combined sensitivity of IgM and IgG was 58.6% (95% CI, 38.9%-76.5%). In subjects 13-70 days following symptom onset with a confirmed positive Covid-19 by RT-PCR the combined sensitivity of IgM and IgG was 90.5% (95% CI, 80.4%-96.4%). Conclusion: The Clungene® lateral flow immunoassay (LFI) is a useful tool to confirm individuals with an adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 indicating past infection. Providing Point-Of-Care results within 15 minutes without any laboratory instrumentation or specialized software has an added value of increasing test availability to patients who have been symptomatic for more than one week to confirm past infection. Performance characteristics are optimal after 13 days with a sensitivity and specificity of 90% and 100%, respectively.


Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 697 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Frankenfeld ◽  
Theres Meili ◽  
Marina Meli ◽  
Barbara Riond ◽  
A. Helfer-Hungerbuehler ◽  
...  

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a lentivirus of domestic cats worldwide. Diagnosis usually relies on antibody screening by point-of-care tests (POCT), e.g., by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), and confirmation using Western blot (WB). We increasingly observed ELISA-negative, WB-positive samples and aimed to substantiate these observations using 1194 serum/plasma samples collected from 1998 to 2019 primarily from FIV-suspect cats. While 441 samples tested positive and 375 tested negative by ELISA and WB, 81 samples had discordant results: 70 were false ELISA-negative (WB-positive) and 11 were false ELISA-positive (WB-negative); 297 ambiguous results were not analyzed further. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA (82% and 91%, respectively) were lower than those reported in 1995 (98% and 97%, respectively). The diagnostic efficiency was reduced from 97% to 86%. False ELISA-negative samples originated mainly (54%) from Switzerland (1995: 0%). Sixty-four false ELISA-negative samples were available for POCT (SNAPTM/WITNESSR): five were POCT-positive. FIV RT-PCR was positive for two of these samples and was weakly positive for two ELISA- and POCT-negative samples. Low viral loads prohibited sequencing. Our results suggest that FIV diagnosis has become more challenging, probably due to increasing travel by cats and the introduction of new FIV isolates not recognized by screening assays.


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