scholarly journals Epidemiological Analysis of COVID-19 Patients detected by Real-Time Reverse Transcription - Polymerase Chain reaction in a Tertiary Care Biosafety Level III Laboratory, Rawalpindi

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-133
Author(s):  
Rabia Anjum ◽  
Nadeem Ikram ◽  
Asma Nafisa ◽  
Naeem Akhtar

Introduction: Unexpected eruption and global dissemination of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has tested the healthcare systems of both developed and developing countries.Objective: To analyze the spectrum of novel coronavirus infection in a tertiary care setup.Materials and Methods: All oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal samples (n=7057) were collected in a viral transport medium (VTM) for qualitative analysis by a real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machine. Positive and negative controls were applied with each batch. Positive cases were stratified into mild, moderate, severe, and asymptomatic, according to the guidelines of the National Institute of Health, Pakistan. Descriptive statistical tests were applied including percentage, chi-square tests, mean, median, and mode. P < 0.05 was counted as statistically significant.Results: Average positive test rate was 18.97% (n=1339). The maximum positivity rate (26%) of COVID-19 infection was observed in June 2020. Most of the cases (60%) belonged to Rawalpindi District, were male (n=844, 63.03%), and belonged to age group (20-40 years) and mean of 36 and age range from 2-85 years. Forty-nine percent of COVID-19 infected patients were asymptomatic and only 9.8% progressed to severe disease. Overall, the mortality rate was 159(11.87%) in RT-PCR confirmed cases.Conclusion: Average positive test rate was 18.97%. The majority of the participants belonged to the young age group (20-40 yrs.) with a range from 2 to 85 years. Forty-nine percent positive COVID-19 infected patients were asymptomatic while 9.8% had severe disease.

2006 ◽  
Vol 175 (4S) ◽  
pp. 485-486
Author(s):  
Sabarinath B. Nair ◽  
Christodoulos Pipinikas ◽  
Roger Kirby ◽  
Nick Carter ◽  
Christiane Fenske

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 679-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela J. Ferro ◽  
Jason Osterstock ◽  
Bo Norby ◽  
Geoffrey T. Fosgate ◽  
Blanca Lupiani

As concerns over the global spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 have heightened, more countries are faced with increased surveillance efforts and incident response planning for handling a potential outbreak. The incorporation of molecular techniques in most diagnostic laboratories has enabled fast and efficient testing of many agents of concern, including avian influenza. However, the need for high-throughput testing remains. In this study, the use of a 384–well format for high-throughput real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) testing for avian influenza is described. The analytical sensitivity of a real-time RT-PCR assay for avian influenza virus matrix gene with the use of both 96– and 384–well assay formats and serial dilutions of transcribed control RNA were comparable, resulting in similar limits of detection. Of 28 hunter-collected cloacal swabs that were positive by virus isolation, 26 (92.9%) and 27 (96.4%) were positive in the 96– and 384–well assays, respectively; of the 340 hunter-collected swabs that were negative by virus isolation, 45 (13.2%) and 23 (6.8%) were positive in the 96– and 384–well assays, respectively. The data presented herein supports the utility of the 384–well format in the event of an avian influenza outbreak for high-throughput real-time RT-PCR testing.


2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 496-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoli L. Pang ◽  
Bonita Lee ◽  
Nasim Boroumand ◽  
Barbara Leblanc ◽  
Jutta K. Preiksaitis ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr Sana Abbas ◽  
Aisha Rafique ◽  
Dr Beenish Abbas ◽  
Dr Rashid Iqbal

Objective: To assess trends of real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction test in Coronavirus infected Patients. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at Tertiary Care Institute, Rawalpindi from March 2020 to June 2020. All patients confirmed COVID positive by real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) with recent travel history, close contact with known diagnosed patients and had symptoms of fever or upper respiratory tract with body aches. Nasopharyngeal swabs were taken and results generated within 48 hours. Positive PCR was admission criteria follow up was carried out at 7th and 8th day, with negative PCR were discharged. However, those who had persistent positive PCR on the 8th day were tested again on 11th and 12th day. Those with persistent positive results beyond 12th day were shifted to specialized quarantine centres. Results: A total of three hundred and ninety-two patients with mild to moderate illness, PCR positive for COVID 19 were included study with age range 9 - 45 and mean 33.22±7.98 years. A total of 8 (2%) patients were females and 384(98%) males. The duration of the negative test result was Mean ± Std. Deviation 9.05±2.00 with 7 – 8 days 152(38.8%)in and 11 – 12 days in 160(40.8%). PCR results on Day 7 and 8 were negative in 144(36.7%) patients whereas positive in 248(63.3%). PCR results on Day 11 and 12 were negative in 312(79.6%) patients whereas positive in 80 (20.4%). Conclusion: To conclude Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (rT-PCR) inclines to give false negative results additionally can stay positive in asymptomatic patients for moderately longer-term. Hence decision to discharge ought to be intricately adjusted between RT-PCR, clinical judgement, radiological examinations, and biochemical assays. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.1.3000 How to cite this:Abbas S, Rafique A, Abbas B, Iqbal R. Real-Time Polymerase chain reaction trends in COVID-19 patients. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(1):180-184. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.1.3000 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


Author(s):  
Theo-Ben Kandetu ◽  
Eric J. Dziuban ◽  
Kaveto Sikuvi ◽  
Rachel S. Beard ◽  
Reginald Nghihepa ◽  
...  

Abstract The relation of continuing to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to infectivity remains unclear, with numerous consequences. This report describes two patients with persistent viral detection by RT-PCR for 77 and 72 days, longer than other reported cases who were otherwise healthy.


2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 959-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dolores Buitrago ◽  
Ana Rocha ◽  
Cristina Tena-Tomás ◽  
Marta Vigo ◽  
Montserrat Agüero ◽  
...  

In September 2010, an outbreak of disease in 2 wild bird species (red-legged partridge, Alectoris rufa; ring-necked pheasant, Phasianus colchicus) occurred in southern Spain. Bagaza virus (BAGV) was identified as the etiological agent of the outbreak. BAGV had only been reported before in Western Africa (Central African Republic, Senegal) and in India. The first occurrence of BAGV in Spain stimulated a demand for rapid, reliable, and efficacious diagnostic methods to facilitate the surveillance of this disease in the field. This report describes a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method based on a commercial 5’-Taq nuclease-3’ minor groove binder DNA probe and primers targeting the Bagaza NS5 gene. The method allowed the detection of BAGV with a high sensitivity, whereas other closely related flaviviruses ( Usutu virus, West Nile virus, and Japanese encephalitis virus) were not detected. The assay was evaluated using field samples of red-legged partridges dead during the outbreak ( n = 11), as well as samples collected from partridges during surveillance programs ( n = 81). The results were compared to those obtained with a pan-flaviviral hemi-nested RT-PCR followed by nucleotide sequencing, which was employed originally to identify the virus involved in the outbreak. The results obtained with both techniques were 100% matching, indicating that the newly developed real-time RT-PCR is a valid technique for BAGV genome detection, useful in both diagnosis and surveillance studies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-142
Author(s):  
Shneh Sethi ◽  
Trinad Chakraborty

Abstract The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first recorded in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization initially classified COVID-19 as a public health emergency and subsequently declared the disease a global pandemic. COVID-19 can take at least three distinct forms: severe acute distress syndrome with a potentially fatal outcome, mild respiratory illness (pneumonia with eventual recovery) and asymptomatic infection. All three disease forms have the potential to transmit the infection to healthy contacts. At present, real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the only available laboratory tool to confirm the presence of viral RNA in patient specimens. These assays are designed to detect one or more (at least 2) SARS-CoV-2 RNA gene targets allowing the detection of the virus. Commercially available RT-PCR assays employ various gene targets of the viral genome in their assay systems. Additionally, there are differences in primer selection for the same gene region of SARS-CoV-2. At present, it is unclear whether the results from different RT-PCR assays are comparable in detecting the spectrum of COVID-19 manifestations. The purpose of the present article is twofold: first, to briefly focus on the findings of these reports; and second, to emphasize the various challenges and flaws that can potentially impact the diagnostic accuracy of RT-PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2.


2012 ◽  
Vol 52 (188) ◽  
Author(s):  
N Kandel ◽  
J M Shrestha ◽  
B Upadhyay ◽  
A K Shrestha ◽  
G Shakya

We analyzed the data available in Nepal during this pandemic in order to determine the epidemiological, clinical and virological characteristics of pandemic influenza A in 2009. The test was conducted by real-time Reverse Transcription – Polymerase Chain Reaction on sample from patients with suspected influenza-like illnesses. Out of 538 cases were tested, 32 % were positive for pandemic influenza A 2009 and the infection rate was highest for cases of 11-20 years and lowest in >50 years of age. Keywords: Influenza A ; pandemic; RT-PCR; surveillance.


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