Metagenomic Sequencing To Detect Respiratory Viruses in Persons under Investigation for COVID-19.

ABSTRACT: Broad testing for respiratory viruses among persons under investigation (PUIs) for SARS-CoV-2 has been performed inconsistently, limiting our understanding of alternative viral infections and coinfections in these patients. RNA metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) offers an agnostic tool for the detection of both SARS-CoV-2 and other RNA respiratory viruses in PUIs. Here, we used RNA mNGS to assess the frequencies of alternative viral infections in SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR-negative PUIs (n = 30) and viral coinfections in SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR-positive PUIs (n = 45). mNGS identified all viruses detected by routine clinical testing (influenza A [n = 3], human metapneumovirus [n = 2], and human coronavirus OC43 [n = 2], and human coronavirus HKU1 [n = 1

SUBMITTER: Babiker A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7771462 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature