{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Use of strips of rapid diagnostic tests as a source of ribonucleic acid for genomic surveillance of viruses: an example of SARS-CoV-2.
{Author}: Keita AK;Mbaye A;Soumah AK;Kadio KJJO;Diallo H;Gnimadi TAC;Koivogui JB;Povogui MK;Monemou JL;Traore B;Vidal N;Guichet E;Ayouba A;Delaporte E;Peeters M;Toure A;Keita AK; ;
{Journal}: Virol J
{Volume}: 21
{Issue}: 1
{Year}: 2024 Aug 1
{Factor}: 5.913
{DOI}: 10.1186/s12985-024-02442-7
{Abstract}: <B>BACKGROUND: </B>This study aimed to demonstrate that the genomic material of SARS-CoV-2 can be isolated from strips of COVID-19 rapid diagnostic test cassettes.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>It was a prospective cross-sectional study involving patients admitted to treatment centers and sampling sites in the city of Conakry, Guinea. A total of 121 patients were double sampled, and 9 more patients were tested only for RDT. PCR was conducted according to the protocol of the RunMei kit. Sequencing was performed by using the illumina COVIDSeq protocol. Nine COVID-19 RDTs without nasopharyngeal swabs were in addition tested.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>Among the 130 COVID-19 RDTs, forty-seven were macroscopically positive, whereas seventy-two were positive according to PCR using RDT strip, while among the 121 VTM swabs, sixty-four were positive. Among eighty-three negative COVID-19 RDTs, twenty-seven were positive by PCR using RDT strip with a geometric mean Ct value of 32.49 cycles. Compared to those of PCR using VTM, the sensitivity and specificity of PCR using RDT strip were estimated to be 100% and 85.96%, respectively, with 93.39% test accuracy. Among the fifteen COVID-19 RDT extracts eligible for sequencing, eleven had sequences identical to those obtained via the standard method, with coverage between 75 and 99.6%.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>These results show that COVID-19 RDTs can be used as biological material for the genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.