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Chlamydia trachomatis ( C. trachomatis ) is one of the most prevalent preventable sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the world. In women, C. trachomatis infection can lead to long-term complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and other related conditions such as ectopic pregnancies and even tubal factor infertility. These complications are preventable given early detection and clinical intervention, but these efforts are often hampered by asymptomatic silent infections, and non-compliance to screenings for STDs. Some women do not get tested out of concerns for violation of privacy, and fear of discomfort. Clinicians often use a multitude of tests to determine if a patient is infected by C. trachomatis , including a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test of First catch urine (FCU) samples. However, these tend to be inconvenient to store and transport, as they carry risk of spillage and have stringent refrigeration requirements. Moreover, given the gold-standard recommendations set forth by the Centres for Disease Control (CDC), the current technique can be inconvenient in remote areas where refrigeration and transport may not always be reliable. The current study therefore looks at the potential of a self-collected vaginal swab device that relies on Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAATs), is dry-stored, and does not require refrigeration, to detect the presence of C. trachomatis in women. The study found evidence to suggest that the self-collection device has the potential to aid clinicians in the diagnosis of C. trachomatis in women when compared to doctor-collected vaginal discharge samples as the designated standard, FCU, and blood serology. Moreover, as a self-collection device it has the potential to break down some of the barriers to STD screening especially in young women, such as violation of privacy. The device therefore has a potential to encourage screening and therefore a potentially effective tool in the fight against the spread of preventable sexually transmitted diseases., Competing Interests: Authors C-YY and T-CC were employed by the company Hygeia Touch Inc. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Muljadi, Cheng, Yang, Chang and Shen.)

In Classical Turkish Literature, poems formed their divans by bringing their poems together, which they wrote in different times of their life. Last poems of these poets which continued to write after completing their divans were not available in old manuscripts of their divans. Generally, these poems were recorded to magazines by curious people of poem or added to new manuscripts of divan by poet, friends of poets or people who copy them. Especially, recently, works on magazines gain importance, so poems which are not available in divan of many poets, are published after being determined. So it is possible to arrange divans which include all poems of divan poets. The theme of this article is the poems which are not available in Divan of Hakim Mehmed Efendi who is calligraphist and historian in 18th century. In this article, after dwelling on the life and works of Hakim, text of poems will be transcribed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Many patients presenting multiple behaviors including drug and food abuse as well as other pathological repetitive unwanted activities such as gambling, self-mutilation and paraphilias may not be appropriately diagnosed. Here we present a case of a male presenting many of these seemingly diverse behaviors and finally diagnosed with reward deficiency syndrome (RDS) by his attending physician. Methods: The use of the dopamine agonist, ropinirole after two weeks showed improvement in terms of sexual behavior but tolerance set in and was discontinued especially when an infraction occurred with the patient's insurance. In this article, we carefully explore the potential of ropinirole to downregulate dopamine receptors causing adenylate cyclase receptor supersensitivity and tolerance a feature of neurotransmitter cross-talk. Based on previous scientific evidence showing KB220Z-nutrigenomic amino-acid therapy (NAAT) to rapidly (post one-hour) activate dopaminergic pathways in both the pre-frontal cortex cingulate gyrus (relapse loci) and ventral tegmental area-caudate-accumbens-putamen (craving and emotion loci) the patient was prescribed NAAT. Results and discussion: Within one week of utilization the repetitive paraphilia was eliminated. There were also a number of other positive effects such as enhanced focus that persisted even after the patient stopped using KB220Z suggesting neuroplasticity (e.g. altruistic thoughts). However, these observed profound benefits require more in-depth study, especially in a large cohort against a placebo. While this report focused on a rapid response rather than long-term benefits previously associated with NAAT, it is somewhat encouraging and longer term required follow-up and larger placebo controlled studies are warranted before any definitive conclusions could be gleaned from this case report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diagnosis represents only one aspect of tuberculosis ( TB) control but is perhaps one of the most challenging. The drawbacks of current tools highlight several unmet needs in TB diagnosis, that is, necessity for accuracy, rapidity of diagnosis, affordability, simplicity and the ability to generate same-day results at point-of-care ( POC). When a return visit is required to access test results, time to treatment is prolonged, and default rates are significant. However, a good diagnostic tool is also critically dependent on obtaining an adequate biological sample. Here, we review the accuracy and potential impact of established and newer potential POC diagnostic tests for TB, including smear microscopy, the Xpert MTB/RIF assay ( Cepheid) and the Determine TB lipoarabinomannan antigen test ( Alere). Novel experimental approaches and detection technologies for POC diagnosis of active TB, including nucleic acid amplification tests, detection of volatile organic compounds or metabolites, mass spectroscopy, microfluidics, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, electrochemical approaches, and aptamers among others, are discussed. We also discuss future applications, including the potential POC diagnosis of drug-resistant TB and presumed latent TB infection. Challenges to the development and roll-out of POC tests for TB are also reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of days until pharyngeal Neisseria gonorrhoeae nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) results become negative after treatment remains unknown. Between March 2019 and April 2021, we enrolled men who have sex with men (MSM) who had a clinical positive pharyngeal N. gonorrhoeae Aptima Combo 2 test result but had not yet been treated in a prospective longitudinal cohort study. MSM were enrolled on their day of treatment and self-collected daily pharyngeal specimens for 21 days at home. We used Kaplan-Meier estimates to determine the median time to clearance and the >95% time to clearance and the log rank test for equality to evaluate factors associated with time to clearance. Sixty-four men were enrolled in the study. Analyses excluded 8 men (12.5%) who were N. gonorrhoeae negative by NAAT at enrollment and 11 (17%) who failed to return any home-collected specimens. Among the 45 men included in the analysis, the median time to N. gonorrhoeae NAAT clearance was 3 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 2 to 5 days). Time to clearance for >95% of the cohort was 12 days (95% CI, 10 days to an undefined time). Men with a history of N. gonorrhoeae infection cleared faster than men without such history (8 days versus 17 days for >95% time to clearance; P  = 0.03). In the absence of reexposure, positive N. gonorrhoeae Aptima Combo 2 assay results obtained prior to 12 days after treatment are likely false-positive results.

Russia and Eastern Europe have the fastest growing HIV epidemic in the world. As sexually transmitted infections (STIs) play an important role in HIV transmission, we conducted this study to find the prevalence of three microorganisms associated with STIs in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. First void urine from 1729 participants was analysed using nucleic acid amplification testing, and all participants completed a questionnaire. One hundred and twelve (6.5%) were tested positive for Chlamydia trachomatis, 67 (3.9%) for Mycoplasma genitalium and 221 (12.8%) for Ureaplasma urealyticum. A significant association was found between C. trachomatis and U. urealyticum (odds ratio [OR] 1.85; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1 to 3.0). U. urealyticum was associated with similar social demographics and sexual risks as C. trachomatis and M. genitalium. This suggests that U. urealyticum has a possible role as an STI pathogen or might be a contributing factor for the spread of other STIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Culture is commonly regarded as the gold standard for diagnosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. However, nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) have rapidly replaced culture for diagnostics in many settings. The aim of the present study was to investigate the appropriate time for test-of-cure (TOG) when NAATs are used for diagnosis of gonorrhoea. In total, 30 patients (28 men and 2 women) provided urethral, cervical, rectal or pharyngeal specimens for TOG. All included patients, except one who did not return for second TOG before day 19, tested negative within 2 weeks after treatment with Cefixime 400 mg x 1. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that 68% of the culture-positive strains were resistant to ciprofloxacin. Thus, the recommended empirical treatment with ciprofloxacin in Norway should be changed immediately. TOG can be performed 2 weeks after treatment when NAATs are used for diagnosis of gonorrhoea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Performance of the new Becton Dickinson ProbeTec GC Q assay on the BD VIPER platform was evaluated to ascertain whether confirmatory testing is required in our clinical setting. Methods Positive predictive value (PPV) was determined by comparison with culture and a confirmatory nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT)-based assay from genital and extragenital samples (rectal and pharyngeal) collected from a genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic. Results Among 14 223 clinical genital samples, 149 (1.0%) specimens were positive using the ProbeTec GC Q assay, automated on the VIPER platform; 141 of these were confirmed by either culture or a real-time PCR targeting two gonococcal-specific targets (PPV 94.6%; 95% CI 90% to 98%). Among 840 pharyngeal samples, 26 (3.1%) were positive by the ProbeTec GC Q assay; 13 were confirmed (PPV 50%; 95% CI 30% to 70%). Among 593 rectal samples, 17 tested positive by the ProbeTec GC Q assay; all were confirmed (PPV 100%; 95% CI 80% to 100%). Conclusions The lower 95% CI of the PPV for the ProbeTec GC Q assay for genital specimens was >90% in this GUM clinic population, and therefore confirmatory testing for genital specimens is not required. Confirmatory testing of pharyngeal and rectal samples should continue in line with national guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Chlamydia trachomatis infection of the genital tract is the most common sexually transmitted infection and has a world-wide distribution. The consequences of infection have an adverse effect on the reproductive health of women and are a common cause of infertility. Recent evidence also suggests an adverse effect on male reproduction. There is a need to standardise the approach in managing the impact of C. trachomatis infection on reproductive health. We have surveyed current UK practice towards screening and management of Chlamydia infections in the fertility setting. We found that at least 90% of clinicians surveyed offered screening. The literature on this topic was examined and revealed a paucity of solid evidence for estimating the risks of long-term reproductive sequelae following lower genital tract infection with C. trachomatis. The mechanism for the damage that occurs after Chlamydial infections is uncertain. However, instrumentation of the uterus in women with C. trachomatis infection is associated with a high risk of pelvic inflammatory disease, which can be prevented by appropriate antibiotic treatment and may prevent infected women from being at increased risk of the adverse sequelae, such as ectopic pregnancy and tubal factor infertility. Recommendations for practice have been proposed and the need for further studies is identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An external quality assessment (EQA) panel consisting of a total of 13 samples in broncho alveolar lavage (BAL) or transport medium was prepared to assess the proficiency of laboratories in the correct detection of Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae by nucleic acid amplification techniques (NAATs) (6 samples containing various concentrations (4.9–490inclusion forming units (IFU)/ml) of C. pneumoniae, 5 samples containing various concentrations (20–5000color-changing units (CCU)/ml) of M. pneumoniae and 2 samples negative for both). Seventy-nine laboratories from 18 countries participated in this EQA study. Sixty-four datasets were returned for C. pneumoniae (n =5 conventional commercial, n =10 conventional in-house, n =4 real-time commercial, n =43 real-time in-house, and n =2 SDA). Sixty-seven datasets were obtained for M. pneumoniae (n =5 conventional commercial, n =10 conventional in-house, n =4 real-time commercial, n =46 real-time in-house, and n =2 strand displacement amplification (SDA)). For the total panels, correct results per sample varied between 95.3% and 100% for C. pneumoniae and between 53.7% and 95.5% for M. pneumoniae. In general, commercial conventional NAATs showed possible sensitivity issues when compared to conventional in-house NAATs for both organisms. On the other hand, real-time commercial NAATs scored better than real-time in-house assays in terms of sensitivity for both organisms. For C. pneumoniae and M. pneumoniae, 0.8% and 2.2% true false-positive results and 1.9% and 2.0% false positives were reported in the samples spiked with the other organism. Analysis of the data for C. pneumoniae showed that the concentrations used were easily detectable by the vast majority of participants. The percentage of correct qualitative results for M. pneumoniae demonstrated that the concentrations included in this panel proved challenging for a number of participants. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background Diagnosis of HIV infection is a multistage algorithm. Following screening with 4 th generation combination immunoassay, confirmation of HIV infection is performed with an antibody assay that differentiates HIV-1 from HIV-2 infection. In the newly updated algorithm, samples that are nonreactive or indeterminate in the differentiation assay are to be tested with an HIV-1 nucleic acid amplification (NAAT) test for resolution. Xpert HIV-1 Qual is a new NAAT assay approved for the identification of HIV infection in whole and dried blood. Objectives To assess the performance of Xpert HIV-1 Qual supplementary assay in resolving the clinical status of serum samples reactive by 4 th generation immunoassays and indeterminate or negative by Geenius HIV-1/2 confirmatory assay. Study design In a retrospective study, samples from 97 individuals for whom the true HIV-1 status was already known (by follow-up samples) and which were negative or indeterminate by HIV-1/2 Geenius assay were tested with Xpert Qual HIV-1 assay. Results Xpert Qual assay correctly classified all 97 samples from HIV-1 positive ( n = 49) and negative ( n = 48) individuals. The sensitivity and specificity of Xpert Qual when using the true HIV status as a reference were 100% (92.7–100% at 95% confidence interval [CI] and 92.6–100% at 95% CI, respectively). Conclusions Applying Xpert Qual HIV-1 assay in the new HIV multi-stage diagnostic algorithm correctly classified 100% of HIV-1 infections including 49 from HIV-1 carriers who have not yet seroconverted. With this assay the total time required for acute HIV diagnosis could be significantly reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diagnostics of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) using molecular techniques from the collected respiratory swab specimens requires well-equipped laboratory and qualified personnel, also it needs several hours of waiting for results and is expensive. Antigen tests appear to be faster and cheaper but their sensitivity and specificity are debatable. The aim of this study was to compare a selected antigen test with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) tests results. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from 192 patients with COVID-19 symptoms. All samples were tested using Vitassay qPCR SARS-CoV-2 kit and the Humasis COVID-19 Ag Test (MedSun) antigen immunochromatographic test simultaneously. Ultimately, 189 samples were tested; 3 samples were excluded due to errors in taking swabs. The qPCR and antigen test results were as follows: 47 positive and 142 negative, and 45 positive and 144 negative, respectively. Calculated sensitivity of 91.5% and specificity of 98.6% for the antigen test shows differences which are not statistically significant in comparison to qPCR. Our study showed that effectiveness of the antigen tests in rapid laboratory diagnostics is high enough to be an alternative and support for nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) in the virus replication phase in the course of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) have numerous advantages over traditional diagnostic techniques and so are now widely used by diagnostic laboratories for routine detection of infectious agents. However, there is some concern over the increasing numbers of reports of NAAT false-negative results caused by sequence variation. Highly conserved NAAT target sequences have been reported for many organisms, yet sequence-related problems continue to be observed in commercial and in-house assays targeting a broad range of microbial pathogens. In light of these ongoing problems, it may be time to consider the use of two genetic targets in NAAT methods to reduce the potential for sequence-related false-negative results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Chlamydia trachomatis is a leading cause of sexually transmitted infection. Diagnostic methods with easy non-invasive sample collection are important to increase testing and hence to reduce the spread of this infection. To enable more use of urine samples in C. trachomatis diagnostics, automation is an absolute requirement since obtaining high-quality DNA from urine specimens involves extensive processing. Here, we present a study in which a new automated sample preparation method, BUGS''n BEADS™ STI (BnB STI), was used up-front of the BDProbeTec™ ET end point analysis and compared with the full BDProbeTec™ ET method to analyze C. trachomatis in 1002 urine samples. The BnB STI system represents a new concept within magnetic sample preparation in which bacteria are first isolated from the sample material followed by purification of bacterial nucleic acid using the same magnetic particles. Similar sensitivity and specificity were obtained with both methods. None of the samples processed with BnB STI inhibited the BDProbeTec™ ET test whereas 1.8% showed inhibition when processed according to the manual BDProbeTec™ ET DNA preparation method. Moreover, the average MOTA scores obtained with the BnB STI system were 48% higher for all amplification controls and 57% higher for positive samples, compared to the manual sample preparation. Based on these results and the significant reduction in hands-on-time for urine sample processing, the automated BnB STI sample preparation method was implemented for routine analysis of C. trachomatis from urine samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aims of this study were to compare the performance characteristics and cost-effectiveness of pooling endocervical samples for screening and diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis, and to investigate the prevalence of C. trachomatis infection in women in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. A total of 1500 endocervical samples were tested individually and when pooled in groups of 5 and 10 samples, respectively. A previously evaluated in-house diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was utilized. The sensitivity and specificity of the PCR were not affected by either pooling strategy. The estimated prevalence of genital C. trachomatis infection was 6.6%, 6.1% and 6.0% based on individually tested samples, and pools of 5 and 10, respectively. For diagnosis of individual samples, the pooling strategies resulted in cost savings of 53.3% (5 samples per pool) and 44.0% (10 samples per pool). Pooling samples for PCR detection of C. trachomatis is an accurate and cost-saving approach for diagnosis and large-scale prevalence studies in St Petersburg, Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlamydia is now the most common notifiable infectious disease in many countries, a fact that has serious ramifications for the reproductive health of women. This review highlights the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical features and reproductive sequelae of the infection. Current screening and management methods are outlined. Obstetricians and gynaecologists are ideally placed to play a major role in the primary prevention of this significant sexually transmitted infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Every first diagnostic specimen from suspected patients with pulmonary TB was tested by a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) to determine the reduction in turnaround time (TAT) for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) that was possible under normal laboratory operating conditions. NAAT (Gen-Probe® Mycobacterium tuberculosis Direct Test™) was performed on the first specimen and liquid culture (BACTEC 460), solid culture (Lowenstein-Jensen [LJ] agar and selective 7H11 [7H11S] agar), and fluorescent acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear were performed on all 3 specimens from each patient. Eighty-one (10.2%) of 797 patients tested were diagnosed with pulmonary TB. The sensitivity of NAAT, BACTEC, LJ, 7H11S, and smear for the first specimen was 90%, 85%, 67%, 53%, and 58%, respectively, whereas the sensitivity for the series of 3 specimens was 90%, 95%, 74%, 74%, and 70%, respectively. Positive predictive value was 100% for all tests except AFB smear, which was 79%. The time to detect 75% of all TB cases was 4 days for NAAT and 21 days for liquid culture; other tests had a sensitivity of less than 75%. Identification and testing every first diagnostic specimen by NAAT has the potential to reduce the overall TAT for laboratory TB diagnosis by approximately 2 weeks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction. A retrospective data analysis of 34 months (spanning 2016-2020) of 961573 diagnostic results obtained before and after nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) implementation, across the Public Health Wales microbiology network. Hypothesis / Gap Statement. This is the first network-wide analysis of the implementation of enteric NAAT in diagnostic microbiology. Aim. To assess the outcome of replacing microscopy and bacterial culture with NAAT as the primary test in the diagnosis of: Campylobacter spp. , Salmonella sp., Shigella spp. , Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) , Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis infections. Methodology. Following NAAT introduction, bacterial culture was performed as a secondary test, to provide further information from NAAT positive samples for epidemiological purposes. Primary detection rates and overall bacterial culture rates were calculated for each target pathogen using both testing regimes (Stage I) including a comparison of in-patient and out-patient diagnoses (Stage II). Results. Stage I analysis showed that the primary detection rate significantly increased for Campylobacter spp. ( P <0.0001), Salmonella sp. ( P =0.0151), Shigella spp. ( P <0.0001), STEC ( P <0.0001), Cryptosporidium spp. ( P <0.0001) and Giardia duodenalis ( P <0.0001) when using NAAT compared to microscopy or bacterial culture. A significant decrease was seen in the overall rate of Campylobacter spp. isolation by bacterial culture ( P <0.0001), whilst other targets remained unaffected. Stage II analysis showed that NAAT positive out-patient samples were more likely to be supplemented by a positive bacterial culture than NAAT positive in-patient samples for Campylobacter spp. ( P <0.0001) , Salmonella sp. ( P =0.0004) and STEC ( P =0.0039). However, Shigella spp. was more frequently isolated from NAAT positive in-patient samples ( P =0.0005). A notable increase was seen for G. duodenalis detection from in-patient samples ( P =0.0002). Reference laboratory data showed the NAAT assay can detect at least 53 serotypes of STEC but may not be able to detect some of the rarer species of Cryptosporidium seen in human infections. Conclusion. The implementation of NAAT has significantly increased the primary detection rate of all target enteric pathogens in Wales and information gleaned previously from direct culture is largely unaffected.

The rising rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Mycoplasma genitalium globally and the association of this sexually transmitted infection (STI) with cervicitis, urethritis, and HIV are potentially of great public health concern. Data on the epidemiology of M. genitalium in men in sub-Saharan Africa are limited. We sought to determine the prevalence of M. genitalium and macrolide resistance in men with urethritis in Kampala, Uganda. Self-collected penile-meatal swabs and/or urine samples from men with symptomatic urethritis ( n  = 250) were retrospectively analyzed for the presence of M. genitalium and macrolide resistance markers with the Aptima M. genitalium and ResistancePlus M. genitalium assays. Additionally, demographic and STI coinfection data were used to investigate associations with M. genitalium infection. M. genitalium was detected in 12.8% (32/250) of individuals; 40.6% ( n  = 13) had M. genitalium monoinfection. Mutations associated with macrolide resistance were detected in 10.7% (3/28) of participants. Coinfection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae was common (41.0%), but M. genitalium was more prevalent in participants without N. gonorrhoeae coinfection ( P  = 0.001). M. genitalium is common in Ugandan men with urethritis both as a monoinfection and as a coinfection with other curable STIs. Macrolide resistance was present and warrants further research on treatment outcomes and the association between untreated M. genitalium and subsequent morbidity. IMPORTANCE Mycoplasma genitalium is a common sexually transmitted infection associated with urethritis in men. Little is known about M. genitalium infection in men with urethritis in Uganda. We report that 12% of participants in this study were positive for M. genitalium and that resistance to azithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic, is present. Furthermore, we show that either self-collected penile-meatal swabs or urine can be used for detection of M. genitalium.

Diagnostics of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) using molecular techniques from the collected respiratory swab specimens requires well-equipped laboratory and qualified personnel, also it needs several hours of waiting for results and is expensive. Antigen tests appear to be faster and cheaper but their sensitivity and specificity are debatable. The aim of this study was to compare a selected antigen test with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) tests results. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from 192 patients with COVID-19 symptoms. All samples were tested using Vitassay qPCR SARS-CoV-2 kit and the Humasis COVID-19 Ag Test (MedSun) antigen immunochromatographic test simultaneously. Ultimately, 189 samples were tested; 3 samples were excluded due to errors in taking swabs. The qPCR and antigen test results were as follows: 47 positive and 142 negative, and 45 positive and 144 negative, respectively. Calculated sensitivity of 91.5% and specificity of 98.6% for the antigen test shows differences which are not statistically significant in comparison to qPCR. Our study showed that effectiveness of the antigen tests in rapid laboratory diagnostics is high enough to be an alternative and support for nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) in the virus replication phase in the course of COVID-19.

To compare the practicability (usability and satisfaction) and analytical performances of VitaPCR™ Flu A&B Assay (Credo Diagnostics Biomedical Pte. Ltd., Singapore, Republic of Singapore) and Xpert® Xpress Flu/RSV kit (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, USA), two rapid point-of-care (POC) nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) by reference to multiplex RT-PCR for respiratory viruses. Nasopharyngeal swabs (n=117) were collected from patients with influenza-like illness in Paris, France. Thawed specimens were further analyzed with both NAATs. The usability was comparable for both NAATs. Satisfaction questionnaire was better for the VitaPCR™ platform for the short time of test result in 20 minutes. Both NAATs showed comparable sensitivities (VitaPCRTM: 95.0%; Xpert® Xpress: 97.5%) and specificities (100%) for influenza A/B RNA detection, with excellent reliability and accuracy between both NAATs. Both VitaPCR™ and Xpert® Xpress NAATs can be implemented in hospital setting as POC NAATs to rapidly detect influenza A/B RNA in symptomatic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The new SARS-CoV-2 is a single‐stranded RNA β-coronavirus, and it is comprising by structural proteins (N), (S), (E) and (M). Timely and accurate detection is necessary for spread control of SARS-CoV-2 infection, avoiding inaccurate outcomes. Therefore, in this systematic review, it is purpose to evaluate a set of laboratory diagnostic techniques and methods, analyse their specificity, sensitivity, contributing to improve detection rates and reduce false negative and false positive diagnostic results. Methods In this review, we used literature available on the indexed search database 'PubMed', concerning the following keywords: 'SARS-CoV-2', 'Specimen handling', 'Cell Culture Technique', 'Viral Antigen', 'Immunoassay', 'NAAT' according to Medical Subject Headings Mesh and applying the Prisma Diagram methodology. Results DD-PCR and CRISPER had more promising results, but they are unconventional and expensive NAAT methods, the usage of the target RdRp/He gene has exhibited very encouraging results improving sensitivity and specificity. After the onset of symptoms, the sensitivity of the immunoassay varies considering of blood collection day. The antigen detection test showed the highest specificity reached, however is sensitivity is lower compared to NAAT assays. Conclusions In summary, RT-PCR still considered the gold standard and precisely detects the presence of virus RNA, although with some flaws in sensitivity, while the serological tests identify a previous infection by the virus, detecting antibodies, allowing the kinetic and immunological studies, not being able to use as a diagnostic method. The molecular point of care testing equipment's revelled be the future in the rapid and accurately diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence and rapid proliferation of Coronavirus Disease-2019, throughout the past year, has put an unprecedented strain on the global schema of health infrastructure and health economy. The time-sensitive agenda of identifying the virus in humans and delivering a vaccine to the public constituted an effort to flatten the statistical curve of viral spread as it grew exponentially. At the forefront of this effort was an exigency of developing rapid and accurate diagnostic strategies. These have emerged in various forms over the past year—each with strengths and weaknesses. To date, they fall into three categories: (1) those isolating and replicating viral RNA in patient samples from the respiratory tract (Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests; NAATs), (2) those detecting the presence of viral proteins (Rapid Antigen Tests; RATs) and serology-based exams identifying antibodies to the virus in whole blood and serum. The latter vary in their detection of immunoglobulins of known prevalence in early-stage and late-stage infection. With this review, we delineate the categories of testing measures developed to date, analyze the efficacy of collecting patient specimens from diverse regions of the respiratory tract, and present the up and coming technologies which have made pathogen identification easier and more accessible to the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]