1
|
Cucina A, Contino F, Brunacci G, Orlando V, La Rocca M, Indelicato S, Di Gaudio F. The Suitability of RNA from Positive SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Tests for Whole Virus Genome Sequencing and Variant Identification to Maintain Genomic Surveillance. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:3618. [PMID: 38132202 PMCID: PMC10742923 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13243618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed laboratory management, with a surge in demand for diagnostic tests prompting the adoption of new diagnostic assays and the spread of variant surveillance tools. Rapid antigen tests (RATs) were initially used only for screening and later as suitable infection assessment tools. This study explores the feasibility of sequencing the SARS-CoV-2 genome from the residue of the nasopharyngeal swab extraction buffers of rapid antigen tests (RATs) to identify different COVID-19 lineages and sub-lineages. METHODS Viral RNA was extracted from the residue of the nasopharyngeal swab extraction buffers of RATs and, after a confirmation of positivity through a reaction of RT-PCR, viral genome sequencing was performed. RESULTS Overall, the quality of the sequences obtained from the RNA extracted from the residue of the nasopharyngeal swab extraction buffers of RATs was adequate and allowed us to identify the SARS-CoV-2 variants' circulation and distribution in a period when the use of molecular swabs had been drastically reduced. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the potential for genomic surveillance by sequencing SARS-CoV-2 from the residue of the nasopharyngeal swab extraction buffers of RATs, highlighting alternative possibilities for tracking variants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Annamaria Cucina
- Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Villa Sofia-Cervello, Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Via del Vespro, 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (A.C.); (F.C.); (G.B.); (V.O.)
| | - Flavia Contino
- Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Villa Sofia-Cervello, Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Via del Vespro, 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (A.C.); (F.C.); (G.B.); (V.O.)
| | - Giuseppina Brunacci
- Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Villa Sofia-Cervello, Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Via del Vespro, 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (A.C.); (F.C.); (G.B.); (V.O.)
| | - Valentina Orlando
- Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Villa Sofia-Cervello, Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Via del Vespro, 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (A.C.); (F.C.); (G.B.); (V.O.)
| | - Mario La Rocca
- Regional Health Department, Department of Strategic Planning, Piazza Ottavio Ziino, 24, 90145 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Sergio Indelicato
- Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Villa Sofia-Cervello, Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Via del Vespro, 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (A.C.); (F.C.); (G.B.); (V.O.)
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Villa Sofia-Cervello, Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Via del Vespro, 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (A.C.); (F.C.); (G.B.); (V.O.)
- PROMISE-Promotion of Health, Maternal-Childhood, Internal and Specialized Medicine of Excellence “G. D’Alessandro”, University of Palermo, Piazza delle Cliniche, 2, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Widyasari K, Kim S. Efficacy of novel SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen tests in the era of omicron outbreak. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289990. [PMID: 37561721 PMCID: PMC10414561 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Following the outbreak of Omicron and its subvariants, many of the currently available rapid Ag tests (RATs) showed a decrease in clinical performance. In this study, we evaluated the clinical sensitivity of the SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test 2.0 for nasopharyngeal swabs and SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test 2.0 Nasal for nasal swabs in 56 symptomatic individuals by comparing the results between RATs, RT-PCR, Omicron RT-PCR, and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Furthermore, sequences of the Omicron subvariants' spike proteins were subjected to phylogenetic analysis. Both novel RATs demonstrated a high sensitivity of up to 92.86%, (95% CI 82.71%- 98.02%), 94.23%, (95% CI 83.07%- 98.49%), and 97.95% (95% CI 87.76%- 99.89%) compared to the RT-PCR, Omicron RT-PCR, and WGS, respectively. The clinical sensitivity of RATs was at its highest when the Ct value was restricted to 15≤Ct<25, with a sensitivity of 97.05% for RdRp genes. The Omicron RT-PCR analysis revealed subvariants BA.4 or BA.5 (76.8%) and BA.2.75 (16.1%). Subsequently, the WGS analysis identified BA.5 (65.5%) as the dominant subvariant. Phylogenetic analysis of the spike protein of Omicron's subvariants showed a close relationship between BA.4, BA.5, and BA.2.75. These results demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test 2.0 and SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test 2.0 Nasal are considered useful and efficient RATs for the detection of SARS-CoV-2, particularly during the current Omicron subvariants wave.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Widyasari
- Gyeongsang Institute of Medical Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Republic of Korea
| | - Sunjoo Kim
- Gyeongsang Institute of Medical Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Republic of Korea
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Republic of Korea
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Changwon, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|