Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Pernet, Olivier
• Weisenhaus, Maia
• Stafylis, Chrysovalantis
• Williams, Christopher
• Campan, Mihaela
• Pettersson, Jonas
• Green, Nicole
• Lee, David M.
• Thomas, Paul D.
• Ward, Pamela
• Hu, Howard
• Klausner, Jeffrey D.
• Kovacs, Andrea A. Z.

Titel

SARS-CoV-2 viral variants can rapidly be identified for clinical decision making and population surveillance using a high-throughput digital droplet PCR assay

Ist Teil von

• Scientific reports, 2023-05, Vol.13 (1), p.7612-11, Article 7612

Ort / Verlag

London: Nature Publishing Group UK

Erscheinungsjahr

2023

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Epidemiologic surveillance of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants is essential to assess impact on clinical outcomes and vaccine efficacy. Whole genome sequencing (WGS), the gold-standard to identify variants, requires significant infrastructure and expertise. We developed a digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) assay that can rapidly identify circulating variants of concern/interest (VOC/VOI) using variant-specific mutation combinations in the Spike gene. To validate the assay, 800 saliva samples known to be SARS-CoV-2 positive by RT-PCR were used. During the study (July 2020-March 2022) the assay was easily adaptable to identify not only existing circulating VAC/VOI, but all new variants as they evolved. The assay can discriminate nine variants (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Eta, Epsilon, Lambda, Mu, and Omicron) and sub-lineages (Delta 417N, Omicron BA.1, BA.2). Sequence analyses confirmed variant type for 124/124 samples tested. This ddPCR assay is an inexpensive, sensitive, high-throughput assay that can easily be adapted as new variants are identified.