Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Jian, Ming-Jr
• Perng, Cherng-Lih
• Chung, Hsing-Yi
• Chang, Chih-Kai
• Lin, Jung-Chung
• Yeh, Kuo-Ming
• Chen, Chien-Wen
• Hsieh, Shan-Shan
• Pan, Pin-Ching
• Chang, Hao-Ting
• Chang, Feng-Yee
• Ho, Ching-Liang
• Shang, Hung-Sheng

Titel

Clinical assessment of SARS-CoV-2 antigen rapid detection compared with RT-PCR assay for emerging variants at a high-throughput community testing site in Taiwan

Ist Teil von

• International journal of infectious diseases, 2022-02, Vol.115, p.30-34

Ort / Verlag

Canada: Elsevier Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• •The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) B1.1.7 lineage was prevalent in April 2021 and spread into Taiwan.•The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Antigen Rapid Test Kit (ART) can detect SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variants.•ART can be used in densely populated areas for symptomatic or asymptomatic subjects.•ART and RT-PCR combined can improve COVID-19 diagnosis and curb community transmission. With the emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) B.1.1.7 lineage in the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Taiwan confronted a COVID-19 flare up in May 2021. Large-scale, accurate, affordable and rapid diagnostic tests such as the lateral flow assay can help to prevent community transmission, but their performance characteristics in real-world conditions and relevant subpopulations remain unclear. The COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test Kit (Eternal Materials, New Taipei City, Taiwan) was used in a high-throughput community testing site; the paired reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results served as a reference for sensitivity and specificity calculations. Of 2096 specimens tested using the rapid antigen test, 70 (3.33%) were positive and 2026 (96.7%) were negative. This clinical performance was compared with the RT-PCR results. The sensitivity and specificity of the rapid antigen test were 76.39% [95% confidence interval (CI) 64.91–85.60%] and 99.26% (95% CI 98.78–99.58%), respectively, with high sensitivity in subjects with cycle threshold values ≤24. Further, the rapid antigen test detected the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 lineage effectively. Considering the short turnaround times and lower costs, this simple SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection test for rapid screening combined with RT-PCR as a double confirmatory screening tool can facilitate the prevention of community transmission during COVID-19 emergencies.