Epidemiology of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Emergence Amidst Community-Acquired Respiratory Viruses.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in China as the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 in December 2019 and reached Europe by late January 2020, when community-acquired respiratory viruses (CARVs) are at their annual peak. We validated the World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended SARS-CoV-2 assay and analyzed the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and CARVs.

Methods

Nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs (NOPS) from 7663 patients were prospectively tested by the Basel S-gene and WHO-based E-gene (Roche) assays in parallel using the Basel N-gene assay for confirmation. CARVs were prospectively tested in 2394 NOPS by multiplex nucleic acid testing, including 1816 (75%) simultaneously for SARS-CoV-2.

Results

The Basel S-gene and Roche E-

SUBMITTER: Leuzinger K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7454752 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature