RESUMEN
COVID-19 infection has been linked to worsening or de novo lower urinary tract symptoms and transient serum prostate-specific antigen rise in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. This pilot study aimed to examine prostatic tissue for evidence for direct involvement with the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Fourteen patients with previous documented COVID-19 infection who underwent prostate enucleation had their prostate specimens examined for COVID-19 RNA. The specimens were examined using a SARS-CoV-2 test, an in vitro diagnostic test based on reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction technology that analyses the presence of RNA for the SARS-CoV-2 strain. Among the 14 patients, COVID infection was severe in three, mild in seven, and asymptomatic in four patients. The COVID-19 genome was successfully identified in the prostate specimen of a single patient. Although this patient had mild COVID-19 infection, he had positive COVID tests for 40 days after the initial infection. Identification of the COVID-19 genome in prostate tissue is a further step toward better understanding its effect on the genitourinary tract. This study's findings provide some explanation for the proposed association with lower urinary tract symptoms and rise in serum prostate-specific antigen levels. Larger studies are needed to further investigate this association.
RESUMEN
Public health emergency of SARS-CoV-2 has facilitated diagnostic testing as a related medical countermeasure against COVID-19 outbreak. Numerous serologic antibody tests have become available through an expedited federal emergency use only process. This paper highlights the analytical characteristic of an ELISA based assay by AnshLabs and three random access immunoassay (RAIA) by DiaSorin, Roche, and Abbott that have been approved for emergency use authorization (EUA), at a tertiary academic center in a low disease-prevalence area. The AnshLabs gave higher estimates of sero-prevalence, over the three RAIA methods. For positive results, AnshLabs had 93.3% and 100% agreement with DiaSorin or Abbott and Roche respectively. For negative results, AnshLabs had 74.3% and 78.3% agreement with DiaSorin and Roche or Abbott respectively. All discrepant samples that were positive by AnshLabs and negative by RAIA tested positive by all-in-one step SARS-CoV-2 Total (COV2T) assay performed on the automated Siemens Advia Centaur XPT analyzer. None of these methods, however, are useful in early diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2.