Evaluation of a Commercially Available Rapid RT-PCR Assay's Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Novel Variants
Back, L.; Logue, J. K.; Wolf, C.; Han, P. D.; Starita, L. M.; Chu, H.
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Rapid molecular diagnostic tests have been critical in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to evaluate the ability of these assays to identify variants of concern, particularly across varying collection and storage conditions. Nasal swabs positive for Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Delta (B.1.167.2), Gamma (P.1), or Omicron (B.1.1.529) variants of concern (VOCs) were stored in TE buffer and viral transport media (VTM). We evaluated the sensitivity of the Cepheid Xpert(R) Xpress SARS-CoV-2 assay in detecting VOC samples and validated TE buffer for use with the assay. Testing of known VOC positives revealed no substantial reduction of PCR sensitivity. Comparison of TE and VTM samples also revealed no reduction in performance when using TE buffer, validating the use of TE buffer to store SARS-CoV-2 samples. SARS-CoV-2 VOCs collected and stored across various conditions can be detected by the Cepheid Xpert(R) Xpress SARS-CoV-2 assay.
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