Point-Of-Care Clinical Evaluation of the Clungene® SARS-CoV-2 Virus IgG/IgM 15-minute rapid test cassette with the Cobas® Roche RT-PCR platform in patients with or without Covid-19

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.

Author(s):  
Polychronis Kostoulas ◽  
Paolo Eusebi ◽  
Sonja Hartnack

Abstract The objective of this work was to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of RT-PCR and Lateral flow immunoassay tests (LFIA) for COVID-19, depending on the time post symptom onset. Based on the cross-classified results of RT-PCR and LFIA, we used Bayesian latent class models (BLCMs), which do not require a gold standard for the evaluation of diagnostics. Data were extracted from studies that evaluated LFIA (IgG and/or IgM) assays using RT-PCR as the reference method. The cross-classified results of LFIA and RT-PCR were analysed separately for the first, second and third week post symptom onset. The SeRT-PCR was 0.695 (95% probability intervals: 0.563; 0.837) for the first week and remained similar for the second and the third week. The SeIgG/M was 0.318 (0.229; 0.416) for the first week and increased steadily. It was 0.755 (0.673; 0.829) and 0.927 (0.881; 0.965) for the second and third week, respectively. Both tests had a high to absolute Sp, with point median estimates for SpRT-PCR being consistently higher. SpRT-PCR was 0.990 (0.980; 0.998) for the first week. The corresponding value for SpIgG/M was 0.962 (0.905; 0.998). Further, Sp estimates for each test did not differ between weeks. BLCMs provide a valid and efficient alternative for evaluating the rapidly evolving diagnostics for COVID-19, under various clinical settings and for different risk profiles.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Won Lee ◽  
Steven Straube ◽  
Ryan Sincic ◽  
Jeanne A. Noble ◽  
Juan Carlos Montoy ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTIntroductionThe ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has spurred the development of numerous point of care (PoC) immunoassays. Assessments of performance of available kits are necessary to determine their clinical utility. Previous studies have mostly performed these assessments in a laboratory setting, which raises concerns of translating findings for PoC use. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of a lateral flow immunoassay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using samples collected at PoC.MethodOne lateral flow immunoassay (Humasis® COVID-19 IgG/IgM) was tested. In total, 50 PCR RT-PCR positive and 52 RT-PCR negative samples were collected at PoC. Fifty serum specimens from Dec 2018 to Feb 2019 were used as controls for specificity. Serum samples collected between Dec 2019 to Feb 2020 were used as additional comparators. Clinical data including symptom onset date was collected from patient history and the medical record.ResultsThe overall sensitivity for the kit was 74% (95% CI: 59.7% -85.4%). The sensitivity for IgM and IgG detection >14 days after date of onset was 88% (95% CI: 68.8% -97.5%) and 84% (95% CI: 63.9% – 95.5%), with a negative predictive value (NPV) of 94% for IgM (95% CI: 83.5% - 98.8%) and 93% for IgG (95% CI: 81.8% - 97.9%). The overall specificity was 94% (95% CI: 83.5% - 98.8%). The Immunoglobulin specific specificity was 94% for IgM (95% CI: 83.5% - 98.8%) and 98% for IgG (95% CI: 89.4% - 100.0%), with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 88% for IgM (95% CI: 68.8% - 97.5%) and 95% for IgG (95% CI: 77.2% - 99.9%) respectively for samples collected from patients >14 days after date of onset. Specimen collected during early phase of COVID-19 pandemic (Dec 2019 to Feb 2020) showed 11.8% antibody positivity, and 11.3% of PCR-negative patients demonstrated antibody positivity.DiscussionHumasis® COVID-19 IgG/IgM LFA demonstrates greater than 90% PPV and NPV for samples collected 14 days after the onset of symptoms using samples collected at PoC. While not practical for the diagnosis of acute infection, the use of the lateral flow assays with high specificity may have utility for determining seroprevalence or seroconversion in longitudinal studies.


Author(s):  
Benjamin D. Grant ◽  
Caitlin E. Anderson ◽  
John R Williford ◽  
Luis F. Alonzo ◽  
Veronika A. Glukhova ◽  
...  

<p>The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has created an unprecedented need for rapid diagnostic testing to enable the efficient treatment and mitigation of COVID-19. The primary diagnostic tool currently employed is reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), which can have good sensitivity and excellent specificity. Unfortunately, implementation costs and logistical problems with reagents during the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic have hindered its universal on demand adoption. Lateral flow assays (LFAs) represent a class of diagnostic that, if sufficiently clinically sensitive, may fill many of the gaps in the current RT-PCR testing regime, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To date, many serology LFAs have been developed, though none meet the performance requirements necessary for diagnostic use cases, primarily due to the relatively long delay between infection and seroconversion. However, based on previously reported results from SARS-CoV-1, antigen-based SARS-CoV-2 assays may have significantly better clinical sensitivity than serology assays. To date, only a very small number of antigen-detecting LFAs have been developed. Development of a half-strip LFA is a useful first step in the development of any LFA format. In this paper we present a half-strip LFA using commercially available antibodies for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. We have tested this LFA in buffer and measured an LOD of 0.62 ng/mL using an optical reader with sensitivity equivalent to a visual read. Further development, including evaluating the appropriate sample matrix, will be required for this assay approach to be made useful in a point of care setting, though this half-strip LFA may serve as a useful starting point for others developing similar tests. </p>


2022 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Nespolo de David ◽  
Fernanda Hammes Varela ◽  
Ivaine Tais Sauthier Sartor ◽  
Márcia Polese-Bonatto ◽  
Ingrid Rodrigues Fernandes ◽  
...  

Point-of-care serological tests for SARS-CoV-2 have been used for COVID-19 diagnosis. However, their accuracy over time regarding the onset of symptoms is not fully understood. We aimed to assess the accuracy of a point-of-care lateral flow immunoassay (LFI). Subjects, aged over 18 years, presenting clinical symptoms suggestive of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection were tested once by both nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal RT-PCR and LFI. The accuracy of LFI was assessed in periodic intervals of three days in relation to the onset of symptoms. The optimal cut-off point was defined as the number of days required to achieve the best sensitivity and specificity. This cut-off point was also used to compare LFI accuracy according to participants’ status: outpatient or hospitalized. In total, 959 patients were included, 379 (39.52%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 with RT-PCR, and 272 (28.36%) tested positive with LFI. LFI best performance was achieved after 10 days of the onset of symptoms, with sensitivity and specificity of 84.9% (95%CI: 79.8-89.1) and 94.4% (95%CI: 91.0-96.8), respectively. Although the specificity was similar (94.6% vs. 88.9%, p = 0.051), the sensitivity was higher in hospitalized patients than in outpatients (91.7% vs. 82.1%, p = 0.032) after 10 days of the onset of symptoms. Best sensitivity of point-of-care LFI was found 10 days after the onset of symptoms which may limit its use in acute care. Specificity remained high regardless of the number of days since the onset of symptoms.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin D. Grant ◽  
Caitlin E. Anderson ◽  
John R Williford ◽  
Luis F. Alonzo ◽  
Veronika A. Glukhova ◽  
...  

<p>The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has created an unprecedented need for rapid diagnostic testing to enable the efficient treatment and mitigation of COVID-19. The primary diagnostic tool currently employed is reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), which can have good sensitivity and excellent specificity. Unfortunately, implementation costs and logistical problems with reagents during the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic have hindered its universal on demand adoption. Lateral flow assays (LFAs) represent a class of diagnostic that, if sufficiently clinically sensitive, may fill many of the gaps in the current RT-PCR testing regime, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To date, many serology LFAs have been developed, though none meet the performance requirements necessary for diagnostic use cases, primarily due to the relatively long delay between infection and seroconversion. However, based on previously reported results from SARS-CoV-1, antigen-based SARS-CoV-2 assays may have significantly better clinical sensitivity than serology assays. To date, only a very small number of antigen-detecting LFAs have been developed. Development of a half-strip LFA is a useful first step in the development of any LFA format. In this paper we present a half-strip LFA using commercially available antibodies for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. We have tested this LFA in buffer and measured an LOD of 0.62 ng/mL using an optical reader with sensitivity equivalent to a visual read. Further development, including evaluating the appropriate sample matrix, will be required for this assay approach to be made useful in a point of care setting, though this half-strip LFA may serve as a useful starting point for others developing similar tests. </p>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tove Hoffman ◽  
Linda Kolstad ◽  
Bengt Ronnberg ◽  
Ake Lundkvist

Background and objectives: Several antibody tests are available to detect SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies, many of which address different antigens. Rapid point-of-care (POC) tests have been doubted due to an eventual risk of production errors, although it is unstudied whether such error would affect test sensitivity and/or specificity. We aimed to evaluate two separate production lots of a commercially available test intended for rapid detection of IgM and IgG against the N-terminal part of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S1). Materials and methods: Serum samples from individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, by RT-PCR and/or serology, and pre-COVID-19 negative control sera gathered from a biobank during 2018 were collected. The presence of anti-S1 IgM/IgG was verified by an in-house Luminex-based serological assay, serving as reference method. The index test was a commercially available rapid POC-test (the COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassette [Zhejiang Orient Gene Biotech Co Ltd, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China/Healgen Scientific, LLC, U.S.A.]). Results: One hundred samples were verified positive for anti-S1 IgG (median fluorescence intensity (MFI) greater than or equal to 900) and 74 for anti-S1 IgM (MFI greater than or equal to 700), confirmed by RT-PCR (n=90) and/or serology (n=89). None of the negative controls (n=200; MFI <300) had SARS-CoV-2 anti-S1 IgM, while one tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 anti-S1 IgG. For the two lots, the sensitivities of the rapid test were 93.2% (69/74; 95% CI: 85.1% - 97.1%) and 87.8% (65/74; 95% CI: 78.5% - 93.5%) for IgM, respectively 93.0% (93/100; 95% CI: 86.3% - 96.6%) and 100.0% for IgG (100/100; 95% CI: 96.3% - 100.0%). The specificity for both lots was 100% for IgM (200/200; 95% CI: 98.1% - 100%) and 99.5% for IgG (199/200; 95% CI: 97.2% - 99.9%). The positive predictive value was 100% for IgM and 98.9% and 99.0% for IgG. The negative predictive value was 95.7% and 97.6% for IgM, and 96.6% and 100.0% for IgG. Conclusion: The rapid POC-test used in this study is suitable to assess SARS-CoV-2 anti-S1 specific IgM/IgG, as a measure of previous virus exposure on an individual level. While the specificity was not affected by production lot, external validation of separate lots of rapid POC-tests is encouraged to ensure high sensitivity before market introduction.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1043
Author(s):  
Tove Hoffman ◽  
Linda Kolstad ◽  
Bengt Rönnberg ◽  
Åke Lundkvist

The potential of rapid point-of-care (POC) tests has been subject of doubt due to an eventual risk of production errors. The aim was therefore to evaluate the two separate production lots of a commercial POC lateral flow test, intended for the detection of IgM and IgG against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S1). Control samples consisted of serum from individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and pre-COVID-19 negative sera gathered from a biobank. The presence of anti-S1 IgM/IgG in the sera was verified by an in-house Luminex-based serological assay (COVID-19 SIA). One hundred samples were verified as positive for anti-S1 IgG and 74 for anti-S1 IgM. Two hundred samples were verified as negative for anti-S1 IgM/IgG. For the two lots of the POC-test, the sensitivities were 93.2% and 87.8% for IgM and 93.0% and 100% for IgG. The specificities were 100% for IgM and 99.5% for IgG. The positive predictive value was 100% for IgM and 98.9% and 99.0% for IgG. The negative predictive value was 97.6% and 95.7% for IgM, and 96.6% and 100% for IgG. The evaluated POC-test is suitable to assess anti-SARS-CoV-2 S1 IgM and IgG, as a measure of previous virus exposure on an individual level. The external validation of separate lots of rapid POC-tests is encouraged to ensure high sensitivity before market introduction.


2021 ◽  
Vol 334 ◽  
pp. 129673
Author(s):  
Wanghong He ◽  
Minli You ◽  
Zedong Li ◽  
Lei Cao ◽  
Feng Xu ◽  
...  

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