ABSTRACT
Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to spread worldwide. Antigen point-of-care tests are needed to help speed up the testing of SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we evaluated the performance of a rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection assay to the SARS-CoV-2 real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. Materials and Methods: COVID-19 infection suspected patients and contact individuals provided 185 respiratory samples (mostly nasopharyngeal and throat swabs) during the study from April to June 2021. The rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection test was compared to the real-time RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 detection in respiratory specimens. Results: By real-time RT-PCR testing, 80 (43.2%) of 185 respiratory samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, while 105 (56.8%) were negative. The sensitivity and specificity of the fast SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection test were 63.1% and 90.1%, respectively. Conclusion: The sensitivity and specificity of the fast assay for SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection were comparable to those of the real-time RT-PCR assay. As a result, the rapid and easy SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection test could be used as a screening assay. © 2022 Journal of Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences University ;Published by Wolters Kluwer-Medknow.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an on-going pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Majority of people infected with this virus will suffer from mild to moderate respiratory disease and recover without therapy, whereas the elderly and, as well as those who have underlying comorbidities are more prone to have severe infection. Several inflammatory indicators, like procalcitonin (PCT), serum ferritin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), linked to the increased the risk of development of severe COVID-19 disease. Objective: The goal of this research was to see if there was a link between inflammatory markers and the severity of COVID-19 disease, as well as the sociodemographic characteristics that influence COVID-19-positive findings. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional at Shri B.M. Patil Medical College, Research Center and Karigoudar Diagnostic Laboratory Vijayapur for a period of 2 months from October to November 2020. This study included 600 COVID-19-positive patients confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Investigations included (RT-PCR) and inflammatory markers. The details collected were sociodemographic data and clinical history. Investigations included RT-PCR using throat swab/nasopharyngeal swab and inflammatory markers like CRP, D-Dimer levels, ferritin, IL-6, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), PCT were performed accordingly. Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 18.0. Results were presented as percentages and mean ± standard deviation. The categorical variables were analyzed using the Chi-square test. Results: The mean age of the patients was 43.7 ± 16.7 years with male preponderance. The majority of the patients were between the ages of 21 and 60 (76.7%) years. Increasing age was significantly associated with severity of the disease, similarly CRP levels, D-dimer, ferritin, and LDH levels were significantly higher among those with increasing age and severe disease, i.e., severe acute respiratory infection (P < 0.05). Conclusion: There was a link between age and inflammatory indicators such as CRP, D dimer, ferritin, and LDH levels, as well as the severity of disease. Hence, measuring these inflammatory markers could help clinicians track and assess the severity and prognosis of COVID-19. © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved.