Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis . Impact of RNA degradation on influenza diagnosis in the surveillance system

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Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis


. 2021 May 21;100(4):115388.
doi: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2021.115388. Online ahead of print.
Impact of RNA degradation on influenza diagnosis in the surveillance system


Hongyan Bai ¹ , Jiashen Zhao ² , Chunyan Ma ² , Hejiang Wei ¹ , Xiyan Li ¹ , Qiongqiong Fang ¹ , Peng Yang ² , Quanyi Wang ² , Dayan Wang ¹ , Li Xin ³



Affiliations

• PMID: 34030102
• DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2021.115388

Abstract

Background: The continuous evolution of influenza viruses is monitored by the World Health Organization Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System. Sample quality is essential for surveillance quality.
Methods: To evaluate the RNA degradation of clinical samples, influenza-like illness samples were collected from four sentinel hospitals, and seasonal influenza was tested by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and quantified by digital reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction at different time points.
Results: RNA degradation was observed in the majority of samples eight days after sample collection. A significant and faster rate of RNA content reduction was observed in low viral load samples (<10 copies/µl) than in high viral load samples (>10 copies/μl), stored at 2 to 8°C for up to eight days. RNase P (RNP) RNA, which is a key indicator to evaluate sample collection quality, was detected. Sample collection quality was uneven in different hospitals.
Conclusion: Low viral load samples increase the risk of false negatives due to RNA degradation to undetectable levels.

Keywords: Influenza; RNA degradation; Sample quality; Surveillance.