PCR Mycoplasma Detection Kit | |
M034-Kit | TOKU-E |
MULTIPLEX KIT PCR MASTITIS PCR kit | |
PCR-MPX218-48D | Bioingentech |
MULTIPLEX KIT PCR MASTITIS PCR kit | |
PCR-MPX218-96D | Bioingentech |
MULTIPLEX KIT PCR Babesia & Theileria PCR kit | |
PCR-MPX401-48D | Bioingentech |
MULTIPLEX KIT PCR Babesia & Theileria PCR kit | |
PCR-MPX401-96D | Bioingentech |
BACKGROUND:
The rapid diagnosis of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients is essential to reduce the disease spread. Rapid antigen detection (RAD) tests are available, however, there is scanty data on the performance of RAD tests.
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the performance of the commercially available BIOCREDIT COVID-19 Ag test and compare it with RT-PCR for detecting Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. Analytical sensitivity for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus was determined for the RAD test using viral culture and RT-PCR as reference methods. The RAD test was further evaluated using respiratory samples collected from confirmed COVID-19 patients. The results were compared with RT-PCR test.
RESULTS:
The detection limits between RAD test, viral culture and RT-PCR varied hugely. RAD was 103 fold less sensitive than viral culture while RAD was 105 fold less sensitive than RT-PCR. The RAD test detected between 11.1 % and 45.7 % of RT-PCR-positive samples from COVID-19 patients.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study demonstrated that the RAD test serves only as adjunct to RT-PCR test because of potential for false-negative results.
General information: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the name given to the 2019 novel coronavirus. COVID-19 is the name given to the disease associated with the virus. SARS-CoV-2 is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans. The 2019-Novel Coronavirus belongs to the genus β. It has a capsule, and its particles are round or oval, often polymorphous, with a diameter of 60-140nm. Its genetic characteristics are significantly different from SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. BIOCREDIT COVID-19 Ag is a rapid immunochromatographic test for in vitro qualitative detection of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 antigen from nasopharyngeal samples. Reagents and materials included:
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Introduction
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a new type of coronavirus belonging to the genus β. On 11 Mar 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) declared Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic [1]. Viral culture and RT-PCR are the gold standards in the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection [2]. However, it takes hours to detect the nucleic acid and days to isolate the virus. In addition, specialized instrument and expertise are required. For rapid diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, rapid antigen detection (RAD) tests for qualitative determination of SARS-CoV-2 antigen are available. RAD tests detect viral antigen by the immobilized coated SARS-CoV-2 antibody on the device. The test results of RAD can be interpreted without specialized instrument and available within 30 min. Hence, RAD tests can relieve the workload in diagnostic hospitals and laboratories and improve the turn-around time. However, according to WHO, the role of RAD tests for antigen detection for SARS−COV-2 needs to be evaluated and is not recommended for clinical diagnosis.
The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the diagnostic use of the commercially available BIOCREDIT COVID-19 Ag test. The aim of the first part of the study was to assess the limit of detection (LOD) between RAD test, viral culture and RT-PCR and the second part was to evaluate performance of RAD test in detecting SARS-CoV-2 virus in different types of respiratory samples.
2. Methods
2.1. Respiratory isolates
The SARS-CoV-2 culture isolate (strain hCoV-19/Hong Kong/VM20001097/2020, the first COVID-19 case detected in Hong Kong) was used to perform a serial tenfold dilution to determine LOD between different assays.
To evaluate the cross-reactivity of the RAD test, 13 non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory virus isolates were tested. They were influenza A(H1pdm09), influenza A(H3), influenza B, adenovirus, coronavirus type OC43, coronavirus type 229E, parainfluenza virus type 1, parainfluenza virus type 2, parainfluenza virus type 3, parainfluenza virus type 4, respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus and enterovirus.
2.2. Respiratory samples
From February 1, 2020 to April 21, 2020, respiratory samples from individuals confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 infection by RT-PCR targeting the SARS-CoV-2 virus–specific RdRp gene were retrieved for this evaluation. Samples were placed in viral transport media (VTM) or Phosphate-Buffered Saline (PBS) for RNA extraction. The remaining part of the suspension was stored at −70 °C until use in this study. Virus concentrations in samples were estimated from cycle threshold (Ct) value.
The Public Health Laboratory Services Branch (PHLSB) in Hong Kong has been designated as WHO COVID-19 reference laboratory since April 2020 and all confirmed cases in Hong Kong were either diagnosed or confirmed by PHLSB [4]. Total number of 368 confirmed COVID-19 samples collected with sufficient quantity were available for this study in descending order: throat saliva (N = 122), nasopharyngeal swab and throat swab (NPS & TS, N = 103), nasopharyngeal aspirate and throat swab (NPA & TS, N = 81), sputum (N = 62).
2.3. RAD kits for SARS−CoV-2 detection
We evaluated the only commercially available RAD kit in Hong Kong at the time of starting the evaluation, BIOCREDIT COVID-19 Ag for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
2.4. BIOCREDIT COVID-19 Ag
The intended use for the BIOCREDIT COVID-19 Ag kit is for nasopharyngeal swab sample. As NPA & TS, NPS & TS, sputum and throat saliva had either been eluted in VTM or suspended in PBS, the test was carried out with modified sample processing methods.
2.5. Sample processing by BIOCREDIT COVID-19 Ag
The recommended sample volume by the BIOCREDIT COVID-19 Ag kit was 90–150 μL. To unify the sample volume, 100 μL sample volume was used. We evaluated two sample processing methods based on the nature of the samples.
2.5.1. For less viscous samples
These samples do not need preparation, 100 μL sample was added directly into a sample well of the device.
2.5.2. For viscous samples
The swab provided by the kit was used to collect the samples and the swab was immersed in the provided assay diluent tube. The subsequent procedures were carried out according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
In an effort to compare the performance of these two sample processing methods (i.e. methods for handling less viscous and viscous samples), LOD was determined using a serial tenfold dilution of virus. The results were then compared with viral culture and RT-PCR.
2.6. Viral culture for SARS-CoV-2 virus
Viral culture was conducted by inoculating samples onto Vero E6 cells. When virus-induced cytopathic effect was examined, identification of SARS-CoV-2 virus in culture fluid was confirmed by the RT-PCR.
2.7. RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 virus
The in-house developed RT-PCR was used to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus nucleic acid in all samples. It was conducted using NxtScript Enzyme and Master Mix (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Germany). Each 10 μL reaction mixture contained 5 μL RNA samples, 2 μL Reaction Mix (5X), 0.06 μL Adpta Taq DNA polymerase (50U/μL), 0.05 μL NxtScript RT Enzyme (85U/μL), 0.9 μL volume of working primer/probe mix and nuclease-free water to obtain a final volume of 10 μL. The working primer/probe mix was prepared by mixing equal volume of forward primer, NCOV-F4: 5′-GTTGGACTGAGACTGACCTTAC-3′ (10 μM); reverse primer, NCOV-R4: 5′−CCCTAGGATTCTTGATGGATCTG-3′ (10 μM); and probe, NCOV-P4: 5′-FAM-ACAGGGTGATGATTATGTGTACCTTCCT-BHQ1−3’ (10 μM). The reverse transcription, amplification was performed in the LC480 System (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Germany) according to the following program: 1 cycle of 50 °C for 10 min, 1 cycle of 95 °C for 30 s, 40 cycles of 95 °C for 10 s and 56 °C for 30 s; and holding at 4 °C.
Sars/ Rat Sars ELISA Kit |
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ELI-41050r | Lifescience Market | 96 Tests | 1063.2 EUR |
SARS Antibody |
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1-CSB-PA020709GA01HU | Cusabio |
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SARS antibody |
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70R-20086 | Fitzgerald | 50 ul | 522 EUR |
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70R-1444 | Fitzgerald | 100 ug | 452.4 EUR |
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70R-1445 | Fitzgerald | 100 ug | 452.4 EUR |
SARS antibody |
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39139-100ul | SAB | 100ul | 302.4 EUR |
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pENTR223-SARS |
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PVT12269 | Lifescience Market | 2 ug | 469.2 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS Core Protein, Untagged, E.coli-100ug |
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QP10499-100ug | EnQuireBio | 100ug | 261.6 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS Core Protein, Untagged, E.coli-1mg |
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QP10499-1mg | EnQuireBio | 1mg | 1273.2 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS Core Protein, Untagged, E.coli-500ug |
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QP10499-500ug | EnQuireBio | 500ug | 795.6 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS Core Protein, Untagged, E.coli-100ug |
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QP13416-100ug | EnQuireBio | 100ug | 261.6 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS Core Protein, Untagged, E.coli-1mg |
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QP13416-1mg | EnQuireBio | 1mg | 1273.2 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS Core Protein, Untagged, E.coli-500ug |
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QP13416-500ug | EnQuireBio | 500ug | 795.6 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS Envelope Protein, Untagged, E.coli-100ug |
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QP13417-100ug | EnQuireBio | 100ug | 261.6 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS Envelope Protein, Untagged, E.coli-1mg |
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QP13417-1mg | EnQuireBio | 1mg | 1273.2 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS Envelope Protein, Untagged, E.coli-500ug |
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QP13417-500ug | EnQuireBio | 500ug | 795.6 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS Matrix Protein, Untagged, E.coli-100ug |
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QP13418-100ug | EnQuireBio | 100ug | 261.6 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS Matrix Protein, Untagged, E.coli-1mg |
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QP13418-1mg | EnQuireBio | 1mg | 1273.2 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS Matrix Protein, Untagged, E.coli-500ug |
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QP13418-500ug | EnQuireBio | 500ug | 795.6 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS MERS Protein, His, E.coli-100ug |
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QP13419-100ug | EnQuireBio | 100ug | 261.6 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS MERS Protein, His, E.coli-1mg |
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QP13419-1mg | EnQuireBio | 1mg | 1513.2 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS MERS Protein, His, E.coli-500ug |
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QP13419-500ug | EnQuireBio | 500ug | 795.6 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS-CoV Protein, His, E.coli-1mg |
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QP13423-1mg | EnQuireBio | 1mg | 4744.8 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS-CoV Protein, His, E.coli-20ug |
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QP13423-20ug | EnQuireBio | 20ug | 241.2 EUR |
Recombinant SARS SARS-CoV Protein, His, E.coli-5ug |
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QP13423-5ug | EnQuireBio | 5ug | 186 EUR |
SARS S1 [His] |
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DAG1861 | Creative Diagnostics | 500 ug | 3034.8 EUR |
SARS S2 [His] |
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DAG1862 | Creative Diagnostics | 500 ug | 3034.8 EUR |
SARS Conjugated Antibody |
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C39139 | SAB | 100ul | 476.4 EUR |
SARS cloning plasmid |
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CSB-CL020709HU1-10ug | Cusabio | 10ug | 451.2 EUR |
SARS cloning plasmid |
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CSB-CL020709HU2-10ug | Cusabio | 10ug | 451.2 EUR |
anti- SARS antibody |
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FNab07609 | FN Test | 100µg | 658.5 EUR |
SARS Spike Peptide |
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3219P | ProSci | 0.05 mg | 197.7 EUR |
SARS Rabbit pAb |
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A13350-100ul | Abclonal | 100 ul | 369.6 EUR |
SARS Rabbit pAb |
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A13350-200ul | Abclonal | 200 ul | 550.8 EUR |
SARS Rabbit pAb |
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A13350-20ul | Abclonal | 20 ul | 219.6 EUR |
SARS Rabbit pAb |
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A13350-50ul | Abclonal | 50 ul | 267.6 EUR |
SARS Spike Antibody |
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24216-100ul | SAB | 100ul | 468 EUR |
SARS Spike Antibody |
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24217-100ul | SAB | 100ul | 468 EUR |
SARS Spike Antibody |
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24218-100ul | SAB | 100ul | 468 EUR |
SARS Spike Antibody |
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24219-100ul | SAB | 100ul | 468 EUR |
SARS Spike Antibody |
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24318-100ul | SAB | 100ul | 468 EUR |
SARS Matrix Antibody |
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24319-100ul | SAB | 100ul | 468 EUR |
SARS Matrix Antibody |
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24320-100ul | SAB | 100ul | 468 EUR |
SARS Envelope Antibody |
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24321-100ul | SAB | 100ul | 468 EUR |
SARS Envelope Antibody |
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24322-100ul | SAB | 100ul | 468 EUR |
SARS Blocking Peptide |
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33R-7048 | Fitzgerald | 100 ug | 216 EUR |
SARS Spike Peptide |
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3525P | ProSci | 0.05 mg | 197.7 EUR |
SARS Matrix Peptide |
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3527P | ProSci | 0.05 mg | 197.7 EUR |
SARS Matrix Peptide |
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3529P | ProSci | 0.05 mg | 197.7 EUR |
SARS Envelope Peptide |
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3531P | ProSci | 0.05 mg | 197.7 EUR |
SARS Envelope Peptide |
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3533P | ProSci | 0.05 mg | 197.7 EUR |
SARS Blocking Peptide |
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33R-8713 | Fitzgerald | 100 ug | 216 EUR |
SARS Coronavirus antibody |
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10C-CR9003M1 | Fitzgerald | 100 ug | 598.8 EUR |
SARS Nucleocapsid antibody |
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10R-10470 | Fitzgerald | 100 ug | 522 EUR |
SARS Nucleocapsid antibody |
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10R-10471 | Fitzgerald | 100 ug | 522 EUR |
SARS E2 antibody |
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10R-1976 | Fitzgerald | 100 ul | 289.2 EUR |
SARS M antibody |
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10R-1977 | Fitzgerald | 100 ul | 289.2 EUR |
SARS Spike Antibody |
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20-abx137184 | Abbexa |
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SARS Nucleocapsid Antibody |
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20-abx137185 | Abbexa |
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SARS Spike Antibody |
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20-abx137200 | Abbexa |
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SARS Nucleocapsid Antibody |
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20-abx137201 | Abbexa |
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SARS-E2 Antibody |
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abx016055-100ul | Abbexa | 100 ul | 493.2 EUR |
SARS-M Antibody |
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abx016056-100ul | Abbexa | 100 ul | 493.2 EUR |
SARS Rabbit pAb |
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A6733-100ul | Abclonal | 100 ul | 369.6 EUR |
SARS Rabbit pAb |
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A6733-200ul | Abclonal | 200 ul | 550.8 EUR |
SARS Rabbit pAb |
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A6733-20ul | Abclonal | 20 ul | 219.6 EUR |
SARS Rabbit pAb |
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A6733-50ul | Abclonal | 50 ul | 267.6 EUR |
SARS Protease Substrate |
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H-5982.0500 | Bachem | 0.5mg | 356.4 EUR |
SARS Protease Substrate |
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H-5982.1000 | Bachem | 1.0mg | 618 EUR |
Anti-SARS antibody |
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PAab07609 | Lifescience Market | 100 ug | 463.2 EUR |
Anti-SARS antibody |
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STJ28816 | St John's Laboratory | 100 µl | 332.4 EUR |
Anti-SARS antibody |
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STJ115313 | St John's Laboratory | 100 µl | 332.4 EUR |
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Abfrontier |