tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Emerg Infect Dis
. 2023 Sep 7;29(10).
doi: 10.3201/eid2910.230030. Online ahead of print.
Cycle Threshold Values as Indication of Increasing SARS-CoV-2 New Variants, England, 2020-2022
Rebecca E Harrison, Ahmed Hamada, Nujcharee Haswell, Aigul Groves, Karina-Doris Vihta, Kerry Cella, Sarah Garner, Ann Sarah Walker, Anna C Seale
Early detection of increased infections or new variants of SARS-CoV-2 is critical for public health response. To determine whether cycle threshold (Ct) data from PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 could serve as an early indicator of epidemic growth, we analyzed daily mean Ct values in England, UK, by gene target and used iterative sequential regression to detect break points in mean Ct values (and positive test counts). To monitor the epidemic in England, we continued those analyses in real time. During September 2020-January 2022, a total of 7,611,153 positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results with Ct data were reported. Spike (S) gene target (S+/S-)-specific mean Ct values decreased 6-29 days before positive test counts increased, and S-gene Ct values provided early indication of increasing new variants (Delta and Omicron). Our approach was beneficial in the context of the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and can be used to support future infectious disease monitoring.
Keywords: 2019 novel coronavirus disease; COVID-19; England; SARS-CoV-2; United Kingdom; coronavirus disease; polymerase chain reaction; quantitative real-time PCR; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; viruses; zoonoses.
. 2023 Sep 7;29(10).
doi: 10.3201/eid2910.230030. Online ahead of print.
Cycle Threshold Values as Indication of Increasing SARS-CoV-2 New Variants, England, 2020-2022
Rebecca E Harrison, Ahmed Hamada, Nujcharee Haswell, Aigul Groves, Karina-Doris Vihta, Kerry Cella, Sarah Garner, Ann Sarah Walker, Anna C Seale
- PMID: 37678158
- DOI: 10.3201/eid2910.230030
Early detection of increased infections or new variants of SARS-CoV-2 is critical for public health response. To determine whether cycle threshold (Ct) data from PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 could serve as an early indicator of epidemic growth, we analyzed daily mean Ct values in England, UK, by gene target and used iterative sequential regression to detect break points in mean Ct values (and positive test counts). To monitor the epidemic in England, we continued those analyses in real time. During September 2020-January 2022, a total of 7,611,153 positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results with Ct data were reported. Spike (S) gene target (S+/S-)-specific mean Ct values decreased 6-29 days before positive test counts increased, and S-gene Ct values provided early indication of increasing new variants (Delta and Omicron). Our approach was beneficial in the context of the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and can be used to support future infectious disease monitoring.
Keywords: 2019 novel coronavirus disease; COVID-19; England; SARS-CoV-2; United Kingdom; coronavirus disease; polymerase chain reaction; quantitative real-time PCR; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; viruses; zoonoses.