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SARS-CoV-2 samples may escape detection because of a single point mutation in the N gene.

Ziegler, Katharina; Steininger, Philipp; Ziegler, Renate; Steinmann, Jörg; Korn, Klaus; Ensser, Armin.

Euro Surveill ; 25(39)2020 10.

Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-808986

ABSTRACT

We found that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the nucleoprotein gene of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from a patient interfered with detection in a widely used commercial assay. Some 0.2% of the isolates in the EpiCoV database contain this SNP. Although SARS-CoV-2 was still detected by the other probe in the assay, this underlines the necessity of targeting two independent essential regions of a pathogen for reliable detection.

Subject(s)

Betacoronavirus/genetics , Clinical Laboratory Techniques , Coronavirus Infections/diagnosis , Nucleoproteins/genetics , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/diagnosis , Point Mutation , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , RNA, Viral/genetics , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , Viral Proteins/genetics , Base Sequence , Betacoronavirus/isolation & purification , COVID-19 , COVID-19 Testing , Clinical Laboratory Techniques/methods , Contact Tracing , Coronavirus Infections/virology , DNA Primers , Diagnostic Errors , False Negative Reactions , Female , Genes, Viral , Humans , Middle Aged , Nasopharynx/virology , Nucleoproteins/analysis , Phylogeny , Pneumonia, Viral/virology , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , Romania , SARS-CoV-2 , Travel-Related Illness , Viral Proteins/analysis

ABSTRACT

Subject(s)

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