Strand-Specific Reverse Transcription PCR for Detection of Replicating SARS-CoV-2

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 27; no. 2; pp. 632 - 635
• Main Authors: Hogan, Catherine A., Huang, ChunHong, Sahoo, Malaya K., Wang, Hannah, Jiang, Becky, Sibai, Mamdouh, Holubar, Marisa, Mathew, Roshni, Zehnder, James, Pinsky, Benjamin A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01.02.2021; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Adult; Clinical Decision-Making; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - diagnosis; COVID-19 - transmission; COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing - methods; COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing - standards; Disease transmission; Disease Transmission, Infectious; Dispatch; Feasibility Studies; Female; Genetic aspects; Health aspects; Humans; Identification and classification; infection control; Innovations; Laboratories; Male; Medical diagnosis; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Middle Aged; Patients; Physicians; Polymerase chain reaction; Prospective Studies; respiratory infections; Retrospective Studies; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA; RNA, Viral - analysis; RNA, Viral - physiology; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 - genetics; SARS-CoV-2 - physiology; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Strand-Specific Reverse Transcription PCR for Detection of Replicating SARS-CoV-2; testing; Virology; Virulence (Microbiology); Virus Replication - genetics; United States; United States > US; screening; viruses; RNA; testing; coronavirus; diagnosis; zoonoses; infection control; respiratory infections; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; 2019 novel coronavirus disease; coronavirus disease; PCR; minus strand
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid2702.204168

We developed an assay that detects minus-strand RNA as a surrogate for actively replicating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. We detected minus-strand RNA in 41 persons with coronavirus disease up to 30 days after symptom onset. This assay might inform clinical decision-making about patient infectiousness.