tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Diagnostics (Basel)
. 2022 May 28;12(6):1338.
doi: 10.3390/diagnostics12061338.
SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Test Results to Infer Active or Non-Active Virus Replication Status in COVID-19 Patients
Giulia De Angelis[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Giulia Menchinelli[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Flora Marzia Liotti[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Simona Marchetti[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Alessandro Salustri[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Antonietta Vella[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Rosaria Santangelo[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Brunella Posteraro[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Maurizio Sanguinetti[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
We used nasopharyngeal swab samples of patients with a symptomatic (n = 82) or asymptomatic (n = 20) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnosis to assess the ability of antigen detection tests to infer active (potentially transmissible) or inactive (potentially non-transmissible) infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Using the subgenomic RNA (sgRNA) as an active replication marker of SARS-CoV-2, 48 (76.2%), 56 (88.9%), and 63 (100%) of 63 samples with sgRNA positive results tested positive with the SD BIOSENSOR STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag (Standard Q), the SD BIOSENSOR STANDARD F COVID-19 Ag FIA (Standard F), or the Fujirebio LUMIPULSE G SARS-CoV-2 Ag (Lumipulse) assay, respectively. Conversely, 37 (94.9%), 29 (74.4%), and 7 (17.9%) of 39 samples with sgRNA negative results tested negative with Standard Q, Standard F, or Lumipulse, respectively. Stratifying results by the number of days of symptoms before testing revealed that most antigen positive/sgRNA positive results were among samples tested at 2-7 days regardless of the assay used. Conversely, most antigen negative/sgRNA negative results were among samples tested at 16-30 days only when Standard Q or Standard F were used. In conclusion, based on our findings, a negative antigen test, especially with the Lumipulse assay, or a positive antigen test, especially with the Standard F assay, may suggest, respectively, the absence or presence of replication-competent SARS-CoV-2.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; antigen detection; reverse transcription-PCR; subgenomic RNA; virus replication.
. 2022 May 28;12(6):1338.
doi: 10.3390/diagnostics12061338.
SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Test Results to Infer Active or Non-Active Virus Replication Status in COVID-19 Patients
Giulia De Angelis[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Giulia Menchinelli[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Flora Marzia Liotti[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Simona Marchetti[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Alessandro Salustri[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Antonietta Vella[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Rosaria Santangelo[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Brunella Posteraro[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Maurizio Sanguinetti[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35741149
- DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12061338
Abstract
We used nasopharyngeal swab samples of patients with a symptomatic (n = 82) or asymptomatic (n = 20) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnosis to assess the ability of antigen detection tests to infer active (potentially transmissible) or inactive (potentially non-transmissible) infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Using the subgenomic RNA (sgRNA) as an active replication marker of SARS-CoV-2, 48 (76.2%), 56 (88.9%), and 63 (100%) of 63 samples with sgRNA positive results tested positive with the SD BIOSENSOR STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag (Standard Q), the SD BIOSENSOR STANDARD F COVID-19 Ag FIA (Standard F), or the Fujirebio LUMIPULSE G SARS-CoV-2 Ag (Lumipulse) assay, respectively. Conversely, 37 (94.9%), 29 (74.4%), and 7 (17.9%) of 39 samples with sgRNA negative results tested negative with Standard Q, Standard F, or Lumipulse, respectively. Stratifying results by the number of days of symptoms before testing revealed that most antigen positive/sgRNA positive results were among samples tested at 2-7 days regardless of the assay used. Conversely, most antigen negative/sgRNA negative results were among samples tested at 16-30 days only when Standard Q or Standard F were used. In conclusion, based on our findings, a negative antigen test, especially with the Lumipulse assay, or a positive antigen test, especially with the Standard F assay, may suggest, respectively, the absence or presence of replication-competent SARS-CoV-2.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; antigen detection; reverse transcription-PCR; subgenomic RNA; virus replication.