Molecular Diagnostic Tools against SARS-CoV-2 in Poland in 2022

Abstract

The most effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and isolate those infected as soon as possible. More than 1000 types of molecular and antigen-based immunoassay tests to detect SARS-CoV-2 are now commercially available worldwide. In this review, we present the possibilities of molecular diagnostics available in Poland in 2022. We provide a description of what samples have proven useful to confirm SARS-CoV-2 infection, we describe what methods are used, as well as what safeguards can and should be used to prevent false-negative and false-positive results, and finally we review the products that diagnostic laboratories have to choose from. We also describe diagnostic problems associated with the mutation of the virus.

Mechanisms controlling the transport and evaporation of human exhaled respiratory droplets containing the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus: a review

“…Another method for detecting COVID-19 is to test for specific antibodies in the blood, such as the immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody against SARS-CoV-2, as it is well-accepted that IgM plays an essential role in the acute infection phase (Huang et al 2020 ). The main drawback of immunoassays that look for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 is that they cannot be used to diagnose infection; instead, they can only show that the immune system has already responded to the virus (Fulawka and Kuzan 2022 ). As a result, the ability to detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulins, also known as SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, can help the researcher identify sick patients and those who have recovered and can safely be released from isolation (Li et al 2020c ).…”

What to Do if the qPCR Test for SARS-CoV-2 or Other Pathogen Lacks Endogenous Internal Control? A Simple Test on Housekeeping Genes

“…Some studies report that as many as 25% of evaluated laboratories incorrectly interpreted the external quality assessment exercise samples, negatively matching the standards required [4]. This effect may be mainly due to one of the following reasons: the swab was taken before viral replication, the swab was taken incorrectly or the patient was not properly prepared for the procedure, or it was the result of contamination, the presence of amplification inhibitors, mutations in the viral genome or operator errors [3,5]. Due to the significant possibility of infecting others after receiving a false-negative result, we conclude that the risk of laboratory and pre-laboratory errors should be minimized.…”

“…In addition, 5% of tests have both an endogenous and exogenous internal control. The remaining 61% of these tests cannot demonstrate whether human cells were collected in sufficient amounts [5]. The aim of this project was to design a simple and cost-effective test for verification of the quality of genetic material, independently of the commercial test.…”