Novel pooling strategy with sample concentration for screening of SARS-CoV-2

Reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) is the gold standard for rapidly confirming infection with SARS-CoV-2. However, the great demand for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing has outpaced its supply in some scenarios, such as the large-scale testing of asymptomatic subjects for public health interventions. Notably, sample pooling, that is, combining multiple samples before and after nucleic acid extraction into a single test sample, has the potential to improve the available RT-PCR testing capacity.1 2 However, compromised sensitivity caused by the sample dilution effect can lead to higher rates of false-negative results in low-viral-load specimens, which carries a risk of missing asymptomatic carriers capable of transmitting the infection.3–5 Thus, developing a high-throughput testing strategy with no sensitivity loss for the early detection and active monitoring of individuals potentially exposed to SARS-CoV-2 is urgently required for prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Joung...
Source: Journal of Clinical Pathology - Category: Pathology Authors: Tags: COVID-19 PostScript Source Type: research