Monkeypox: another test for PCR

Article Medical Laboratory Technology

The Dangers of Using Cq to Quantify Nucleic Acid in Biological Samples: A Lesson From COVID-19

Daniel Evans et al.

Summary: The study found poor interlaboratory reproducibility when using Cq values as clinical cutoffs or diagnostic performance targets, recommending calibrated copy-based units as more reproducible alternatives. Additionally, discrepancies in diagnostic performance may change relative to the effective reproduction number, emphasizing the importance of considering patient population disparities over time when evaluating or deploying diagnostic tests, particularly in emergency situations such as a evolving pandemic.

CLINICAL CHEMISTRY (2022)

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Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

RNA reference materials with defined viral RNA loads of SARS-CoV-2-A useful tool towards a better PCR assay harmonization

Laura Vierbaum et al.

Summary: To track the circulation of SARS-CoV-2, reliable diagnostic methods are required. However, interlaboratory studies have shown high variability in the reported Ct values. In order to estimate the viral load, standards were introduced, and reference materials containing heat-inactivated SARS-CoV-2 were established. These reference materials proved to be a suitable tool for determining the specific laboratory Ct for a given viral load and could also be used as run controls to ensure the reproducibility of quantitative measurements.

PLOS ONE (2022)

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Article Biochemical Research Methods

Digital PCR can augment the interpretation of RT-qPCR Cq values for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics

Alexandra S. Whale et al.

Summary: COVID-19 is an infectious respiratory disease caused by person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The diagnosis of the disease is challenging due to many unknowns, including the viral burden. The use of Cq cut-off values for molecular testing has been questioned, as it does not accurately identify infectious individuals. Other reliable methods need to be explored for accurate diagnosis and identification of infected individuals.

METHODS (2022)

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Article Infectious Diseases

Monkeypox outbreaks outside endemic regions: scientific and social priorities

Alimuddin Zumla et al.

LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASES (2022)

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Article Infectious Diseases

Clinical features and management of human monkeypox: a retrospective observational study in the UK

Hugh Adler et al.

Summary: This study retrospectively observed the clinical course of monkeypox in seven patients in the UK from 2018 to 2021. The study found that prolonged PCR positivity led to isolation of five patients for more than 3 weeks. Three patients treated with brincidofovir developed elevated liver enzymes, leading to termination of the therapy. One patient treated with tecovirimat experienced no adverse effects and had a shorter duration of viral shedding and illness compared to the other six patients.

LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASES (2022)

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Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

A novel and sensitive real-time PCR system for universal detection of poxviruses

Lea Luciani et al.

Summary: The success in eradicating smallpox was made possible due to the lack of non-human reservoirs for the virus. However, other poxviruses capable of infecting humans have posed a growing health threat, necessitating new diagnostic and epidemiological tools. The real-time PCR assay described in this study targets a highly conserved region of the poxvirus genome, allowing for comprehensive detection of poxviruses and showing high specificity and sensitivity for vertebrate and arthropod samples, with potential applications in virus discovery and epidemiological projects.

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS (2021)

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