Epidemiological Insights into the Omicron Outbreak via MeltArray-Assisted Real-Time Tracking of SARS-CoV-2 Variants.

ABSTRACT: The prolonged course of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates sustained surveillance of emerging variants. This study aimed to develop a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR) suitable for the real-time tracking of Omicron subvariants in clinical and wastewater samples. Plasmids containing variant-specific mutations were used to develop a MeltArray assay. After a comprehensive evaluation of both analytical and clinical performance, the established assay was used to detect Omicron variants in clinical and wastewater samples, and the results were compared with those of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). The MeltArray assay identified 14 variant-specific mutations, enabling the detection of five Omicron sublineages (BA.2*, BA.5.2*, BA.2.75*, BQ.1*,

SUBMITTER: Yan T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10748191 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature