Quantitative analysis of different respiratory specimens on two automated test systems for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA.

Molecular testing of SARS-CoV-2 RNA is essential during the pandemic. Here, we compared the results of different respiratory specimens including anterior nasal swabs, pharyngeal swabs, saliva swabs, and gargle lavage samples to nasopharyngeal swabs on two automated SARS-CoV-2 test systems. Samples were collected and tested simultaneously from a total of 36 hospitalized symptomatic COVID-19 patients. Detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 was performed on cobas®6800 (Roche) and NeuMoDx™ (Qiagen) systems. Both assays showed reliable detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, with nasopharyngeal swabs showing the highest sensitivity. SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in other respiratory specimens were lower (mean 2.5 log10 copies/ml) or even undetectable in up to 20%. These data clearly indicate that not all respiratory materials are equally suitable for the management of hospitalized patients, especially, in the late phase of COVID-19, when the viral phase subsides and inflammation becomes the predominant factor, making detection of even lower viral loads increasingly important.

Detection and Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in Three Self-Collected Specimen Types: Flocked Midturbinate Swab (MTS) in Viral Transport Media, Foam MTS, and Saliva.

Respiratory specimen collection materials shortages hampers severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing. We compared specimen alternatives and evaluated SARS-CoV-2 RNA stability under simulated shipping conditions. We compared concordance of RT-PCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 from flocked midturbinate swabs (MTS) in viral transport media (VTM), foam MTS without VTM, and saliva. Specimens were collected between August 2020 and April 2021 from three prospective cohorts. We compared RT-PCR cycle quantification (Cq) for Spike (S), Nucleocapsid (N), and the Open Reading Frame 1ab (ORF) genes for flocked MTS and saliva specimens tested before and after exposure to a range of storage temperatures (4-30°C) and times (2, 3, and 7 days). Of 1,900 illnesses with ≥2 specimen types tested, 335 (18%) had SARS-CoV-2 detected in ≥1 specimen; 304 (91%) were concordant across specimen types. Among illnesses with SARS-CoV-2 detection, 97% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 94-98%) were positive on flocked MTS, 99% (95% CI: 97-100%) on saliva, and 89% (95% CI: 84-93%) on foam MTS. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in flocked MTS and saliva stored up to 30°C for 7 days. All specimen types provided highly concordant SARS-CoV-2 results. These findings support a range of viable options for specimen types, collection, and transport methods that may facilitate SARS-CoV-2 testing during supply and personnel shortages. IMPORTANCE Findings from this analysis indicate that (1) self-collection of flocked and foam MTS and saliva samples is feasible in both adults and children, (2) foam MTS with VTM and saliva are both viable and reasonable alternatives to traditional flocked MTS in VTM for SARS-CoV-2 detection, and (3) these sample types may be stored and transported at ambient temperatures for up to 7 days without compromising sample quality. These findings support methods of sample collection for SARS-CoV-2 detection that may facilitate widespread community testing in the setting of supply and personnel shortages during the current pandemic.

Diagnostic accuracy of nanopore sequencing using respiratory specimens in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the role of nanopore sequencing using respiratory specimens in the early diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and simultaneously compare it head-to-head with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) culture, and Xpert MTB/rifampin (RIF). METHODS: The clinical data of 164 patients with suspected PTB were retrospectively reviewed to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and area under the curve (AUC) of the acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear, MTB culture, Xpert MTB/RIF, and nanopore sequencing and assess their diagnostic accuracy compared with culture combined with clinical diagnosis. RESULTS: The overall sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and AUC of the AFB smear were 27.6%, 87.5%, 84.2%, 33.3%, and 0.58, respectively; for MTB culture, these values were 57.8%, 100.0%, 100.0%, 49.5%, and 0.79, respectively; for Xpert MTB/RIF, these values were 62.9%, 97.9%, 98.7%, 52.2%, and 0.80, respectively; and for nanopore sequencing, these values were 94.8%, 97.9%, 99.1%, 88.7%, and 0.96, respectively. CONCLUSION: The diagnostic accuracy of nanopore sequencing was excellent in terms of PTB diagnosis and was considerably better than that of the Xpert MTB/RIF and MTB culture. Nanopore sequencing could be an effective alternative to Xpert MTB/RIF for the initial detection of PTB to improve the accuracy of PTB diagnosis.

Laboratory Diagnosis and Monitoring the Viral Shedding of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

The worldwide epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is ongoing. Rapid and accurate detection of the causative virus SARS-CoV-2 is vital for the treatment and control of COVID-19. In this study, the comparative sensitivity of different respiratory specimen types were retrospectively analyzed using 3,552 clinical samples from 410 COVID-19 patients confirmed by Guangdong CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Except for bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), the sputum possessed the highest positive rate (73.4%-87.5%), followed by nasal swabs (53.1%-85.3%) for both severe and mild cases during the first 14 days after illness onset (d.a.o.). Viral RNA could be detected in all BALF samples collected from the severe group within 14 d.a.o. and lasted up to 46 d.a.o. Moreover, although viral RNA was negative in the upper respiratory samples, it was also positive in BALF samples in most cases from the severe group during treatment. Notably, no viral RNA was detected in BALF samples from the mild group. Despite typical ground-glass opacity observed via computed tomographic scans, no viral RNA was detected in the first three or all upper respiratory tract specimens from some COVID-19 patients. In conclusion, sputum is most sensitive for routine laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19, followed by nasal swabs. Detection of viral RNA in BALF improves diagnostic accuracy in severe COVID-19 patients.

Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in fecal samples.

The need for timely establishment of a complete diagnostic protocol of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is demanded worldwide. We selected 15 positive novel coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) patients with mild or no symptom. Initially, fecal samples were negative in the 67% (10/15) of the cases, while 33% (5/10) of the cases were positive. After serial virus RNA testing, 73% (11/15) of the cases resulted positive to fecal specimens. In particular, 15 days after the first positive respiratory specimens test, 6 fecal specimens became positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, while 13 respiratory test returned negative result. In conclusion, qRT-PCR assays of fecal specimens, is an important step to control infection, suggesting that samples remained positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA longer time then respiratory tract samples. Our results enhance the recent knowledge on this emerging infectious disease and offer suggestions for a more complete diagnostic strategy.

Atypical and Typical Bacteria in Children with Community Acquired Pneumonia.

This study seeks to determine the pathogens in respiratory specimens and blood serum obtained from children who present with community acquired pneumonia (CAP) diagnosed on the basis of clinical and radiological evidence. The study group consisted of 46 hospitalized children aged 1-11 years. The material for research consisted of pharyngeal swabs and samples of blood serum. One hundred and thirty eight pharyngeal swabs were examined for the presence of C. pneumoniae antigen, C. pneumoniae DNA, and for typical pathogens. C. pneumoniae DNA was detected in pharyngeal swabs with nested PCR. Classical microbiological culture was used for detection of typical bacteria. ELISA test were used for detection anti-C. pneumoniae and anti-M. pneumoniae antibodies in the serum. C. pneumoniae DNA was identified in 10.9% of children. Positive culture for typical pathogens was observed in 8.7% of children. Specific anti-C. pneumoniae IgM antibodies were found in 8.7% of children, and IgG and IgA antibodies in 1 child each. Specific anti-M. pneumoniae IgG antibodies were found in 13.1% of children and IgM antibodies in 1 child. We conclude that the underlying bacterial etiology of CAP is rather rarely conclusively confirmed in children. Nonetheless, determining the etiology of CAP is essential for the choice of treatment to optimize the use and effectiveness of antimicrobials and to avoid adverse effect. Due to considerable variations in the power of detection of the type of atypical bacteria causing CAP, the search for the optimum diagnostic methods continues.

Comparison of nucleic acid extraction methods for next-generation sequencing of avian influenza A virus from ferret respiratory samples.

Influenza A virus is a negative-sense RNA virus with a segmented genome consisting of eight RNA segments. Avian influenza A virus (AIV) primarily infects avian hosts and sporadically infects mammals, which can lead to adaptation to new species. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of emerging AIV genomes extracted from respiratory samples collected on sequential days from animal models and clinical patients enables analysis of the emergence of evolutionary variants within the virus population over time. However, obtaining codon complete AIV genome at a sufficient coverage depth for nucleotide variant calling remains a challenge, especially from post-inoculation respiratory samples collected at late time points that have low viral titers. In this study, nasal wash samples from ferrets inoculated with different subtypes of AIV were collected on various days post-inoculation. Each nasal wash sample was aliquoted and extracted using five commercially available nucleic acid extraction methods. Extracted influenza virus RNA was amplified and NGS conducted using Illumina Mi-Seq. For each nasal wash sample, completeness of AIV genome segments and coverage depth were compared among five extraction methods. Nucleic acids extracted by MagNA pure compact RNA isolation consistently yielded codon complete sequences for all eight genome segments at the required coverage depth at each time point sampled. The study revealed that DNase treatment was critical to the amplification of influenza genome segments and the downstream success of codon complete NGS from nasal wash samples. The findings from this study can be applied to improve NGS of influenza and other RNA viruses that infect the respiratory tract and are collected from respiratory samples.

Comparison of PCR-fluorescence probe and Xpert MTB／RIF in diagnosis of tuberculosis from non-respiratory specimens / 中华临床感染病杂志

Objective To compare the application of PCR-fluorescence probe, Bactec MGIT960 and Xpert MTB／RIF in diagnosis of tuberculosis from non-respiratory specimens.Methods Non-respiratory specimens from 225 patients with suspected tuberculosis admitted in Zhejiang Hospital of Integrated Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine from October 2017 to August 2018 were collected.There were 177 cases of tuberculosis and 48 cases of non-tuberculosis confirmed by clinical diagnosis.All specimens were tested with PCR-fluorescence probe, Xpert MTB／RIF and Bactec MGIT960.The clinical diagnostic results were used as the gold standard, and the receiver operating characteristic curve ( ROC) was drawn to evaluate the diagnostic values of three methods.The consistency of PCR-fluorescence probe method with Xpert MTB／RIF assay was analyzed.Results The sensitivity of PCR-fluorescent probe, Xpert MTB／RIF and Bactec MGIT960 in diagnosis of tuberculosis was 53.67%(95／177), 58.76%(104／177) and 31.07%(55／177), respectively.The sensitivity of PCR-fluorescent probe and Xpert MTB／RIF was higher than that of Bactec MGIT 960 culture ( χ2 ＝17.60 and 27.41, P＜0.01), while there was no significant difference between the PCR-fluorescent probe and the Xpert MTB／RIF (χ2 ＝0.93, P＞0.05).The specificity of three methods were 100.00%(48／48), 100.00%(48／48) and 97.92%(47／48), respectively (F＝1.83, P＞0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve ( AUC) of PCR-fluorescent probe, Xpert MTB／RIF, and Bactec MGIT960 was 0.768, 0.794, and 0.645, respectively.The diagnostic value of PCR-fluorescent probe and Xpert MTB／RIF for tuberculosis was significantly higher than that of Bactec MGIT960 (Z＝5.19 and 6.52, P＜0.01); while Xpert MTB／RIF was superior to PCR-fluorescence probe (Z＝2.8, P＜0.05).In various types of specimens , there was no significant difference in the detection rate of tuberculosis between PCR-fluorescent probe method and Xpert MTB／RIF (χ2 ＝0.73, P＞0.05).The PCR-fluorescent probe and Xpert MTB／RIF had a good consistency (kappa＝0.829).Conclusion Xpert MTB／RIF is superior to PCR-fluorescence probe in the detection of tuberculosis in non-respiratory specimens such as tissues and pus, but the two have good consistency.The PCR-fluorescence probe method is economical and practical , and easy to promote, which has a high clinical application prospects.

Increasing Prevalence of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Respiratory Specimens from US-Affiliated Pacific Island Jurisdictions1.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) respiratory infections represent a growing public health problem in many countries. However, there are limited published epidemiologic studies for the Western Pacific region. We reviewed respiratory specimens submitted to Diagnostic Laboratory Services in Hawaii, USA, for culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis during August 2007-December 2011 to determine the NTM isolation rate. We observed a statistically significant increase in the rate of specimens with NTM isolated in respiratory culture (adjusted rate ratio per year 1.65, 95% CI 1.54-1.77; p<0.01). In contrast, the number of patients with respiratory cultures positive for M. tuberculosis showed no increase (adjusted rate ratio per year 0.98, 95% CI 0.94-1.01; p = 0.19). A 6-month subset of NTM isolates was identified by using a nucleic acid probe or 16S rRNA sequencing. M. avium complex and M. fortuitum were the most common NTM identified.

Performance characteristics of the new Abbott Real Time MTB assay for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in respiratory specimens.

The performance of the Abbott Real Time MTB assay for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in respiratory specimens was evaluated using a standard culture as the reference. The overall concordance between both methods was 0.95. The assay displayed an excellent sensitivity (100% for smear-positive/92.3% for smear-negative specimens) and specificity (100%).

High diversity of non-sporulating moulds in respiratory specimens of immunocompromised patients: should all the species be reported when diagnosing invasive aspergillosis?

Non-sporulating moulds (NSMs) isolated from respiratory specimens are usually discarded without further testing although they may have pathogenic effects in immunocompromised patients. The objective of this study was to determine the identity and frequency of NSMs in patients with haematological malignancies. We analysed the mycological results of 251 consecutive respiratory samples from 104 haematology patients. Yeast and sporulating moulds were identified at the genus/species level according to their phenotypic features. NSMs were identified by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing. We detected 179 positive samples, of which 10.1% (18/179) were mixtures of moulds and 26.3% (47/179) were mixtures of moulds and yeast. We identified 142 moulds belonging to 11 different genera/species or groups, with Aspergillus fumigatus (n = 50), Penicillium spp. (n = 31) and NSM (n = 24) being the most frequently isolated species. Twenty-two NSMs were successfully sequenced: 18 were basidiomycetes and six were ascomycetes, corresponding to 16 different genera/species. NSMs were isolated with A. fumigatus in the same sample or in a subsequent sample in five patients with probable invasive aspergillosis. The conclusion is that the respiratory specimens of immunocompromised patients frequently contain very diverse mould species that may increase the virulence of pathogenic species. Reporting all mould species isolated when diagnosing invasive fungal infection could test this hypothesis.

Use of acid-fast bacilli staining to determine the need for airborne infection isolation precautions: a comparison of respiratory specimens.

Institution of appropriate airborne infection isolation (AII) precautions for patients with suspected Mycobacterium tuberculosis is critical to prevent disease transmission. We compared the yield of acid-fast bacilli smears from different types of respiratory specimens and found that smear sensitivity was highest for specimens obtained by endotracheal aspirates (92%), followed by sputum (79%), and then by bronchoalveolar lavage (37%). As a result of this study, our institutional policy regarding discontinuation of AII precautions was amended.

Comparação do teste amplified mycobacterium tuberculosis direct com métodos de referência para detecção de mycobacterium tuberculosis em espécimes respiratórios de pacientes HIV positivo / Comparison of amplified mycobacterium tuberculosis direct test with reference methods for detection of mycobacterium tuberculosis in respiratory specimens of HIV positive patients

O diagnóstico rápido da tuberculose (TB) é fundamental para a redução da taxa detransmissão da doença e conseqüentemente do número de pessoas infectadas peloindivíduo doente além de possibilitar a prevenção do óbito e as seqüelas causadaspela progressão da doença sem tratamento. A baciloscopia possui baixasensibilidade e o maior problema da cultura para micobactérias é o longo tempo de incubação necessário, até oito semanas. Novos testes, apesar do custo elevado, podem representar um avanço no combate à doença. O teste AmplifiedMycobacterium tuberculosis Direct (MTD; Gen-Probe; San Diego, CA) é capaz dedetectar o rRNA do complexo M. tuberculosis em aproximadamente 3 horas, porémé necessário um melhor entendimento da performance deste teste para clientelapaucibacilar, que é o caso de pacientes HIV positivo, já que a qualidade de suasamostras normalmente dificulta o diagnóstico laboratorial tanto pela baciloscopiaquanto pela cultura. Este estudo foi realizado no Laboratório de Bacteriologia eBioensaios do Instituto de Pesquisa Clínica Evandro Chagas da Fundação OswaldoCruz e tem como objetivo comparar o teste Amplified Mycobacterium tuberculosisDirect com métodos de referência para o diagnóstico laboratorial de tuberculose empacientes HIV positivo na forma de um estudo retrospectivo de acurácia diagnósticacomparando os resultados do MTD com cultura em LJ e BACTEC MGIT 960. Foramanalisadas amostras respiratórias de 118 pacientes, 74,4% do sexo masculino, eidade média de 36,61 ± 10,6 anos. O MTD identificou 31% das amostras comocomplexo M. tuberculosis (M.tb). Entre as culturas em BACTEC MGIT 960, 29,7 por centoforam isolados como M.tb e as culturas em LJ isolaram 27,1%...

Rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) is important to reduce the rate of diseasetransmission and the number of infected people, enabling prevention of death andsequel caused by disease progression without treatment. The bacilloscopy has lowsensitivity and mycobacteria culture takes long incubation time, up to eight weeks.New tests, despite the high cost, may represent a breakthrough in combating thedisease. The Amplified Mycobacterium tuberculosis Direct Test (MTD, Gen-Probe,San Diego, CA) is capable of detecting the rRNA of the M. tuberculosis in about 3hours, but a better understanding of the performance of this test in paucibacillaryclientele is needed, which is the case of HIV positive patients, since the quality oftheir samples usually difficult both for the laboratory diagnosis by smear and culture.This study was conducted at the Laboratory of Bacteriology and bioassays of theClinical Research Institute Evandro Chagas, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, and aims tocompare the Amplified Mycobacterium tuberculosis Direct Test with referencemethods for the laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis in HIV positive patients with aretrospective study of diagnostic accuracy by comparing the results of MTD with LJand BACTEC MGIT 960. We analyzed respiratory samples from 118 patients, 74.4%, mean age 36.61 ± 10.6 years...

Evaluation of the Performances of AdvanSure TB/NTM Real Time PCR Kit for Detection of Mycobacteria in Respiratory Specimens / 대한진단검사의학회지

BACKGROUND: PCR is a widely used method for rapid and accurate diagnosis of mycobacteriosis. The sensitivity and specificity of a real time PCR kit newly developed in Korea were evaluated for detecting mycobacteria in respiratory specimens. METHODS: One hundred twenty nine Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) culture positive respiratory specimens (82 AFB stain positive and 47 stain negative specimens) were used for evaluation of the sensitivity. Nine non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) culture positive specimens were also included. For evaluation of the specificity, 48 AFB stain and culture negative respiratory specimens from patients who were initially not fully excluded from mycobacterial diseases (specificity group 1) were used. Other 51 respiratory specimens from patients who were not suspected of mycobacterial diseases were also included (specificity group 2). Real time PCR was performed by using AdvanSure TB/NTM real time PCR Kit (LG Lifescience, Korea) and SLAN real time PCR detection system (LG Lifescience). The target genes of TB and NTM were IS6110 and rpoB, respectively. RESULTS: Among 129 TB culture positive specimens, 82 of 82 AFB stain positive specimens (100%) and 35 of 47 (74.5%) stain negative specimens revealed real time PCR positivity for TB, resulting in sensitivity of 90.7%. Five of nine NTM culture positive specimens resulted in real time PCR positivity for NTM (55.6%). Forty seven of 48 specimens (97.9%) and all 51 specimens (100%) of the specificity group 1 and 2, respectively, were real time PCR negative for TB and NTM. CONCLUSIONS: AdvanSure TB/NTM real time PCR Kit should be useful for detecting TB in respiratory specimens with high sensitivity and specificity.