Dataset Information

Amplicon residues in research laboratories masquerade as COVID-19 in surveillance tests.

ABSTRACT: Asymptomatic surveillance testing together with COVID-19-related research can lead to positive SARS-CoV-2 tests resulting not from true infections, but non-infectious, non-hazardous by-products of research (amplicons). Amplicons can be widespread and persistent in lab environments and can be difficult to distinguish for true infections. We discuss prevention and mitigation strategies.

SUBMITTER: Davidi D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8017732 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Amplicon residues in research laboratories masquerade as COVID-19 in surveillance tests.

Davidi Dan D Fitzgerald Susan S Glaspell Hannah L HL Jalbert Samantha S Klapperich Catherine M CM Landaverde Lena L Maheras Stylianos S Mattoon Stephanie E SE Britto Vanessa M VM Nguyen Giang T GT Platt Judy T JT Kuhfeldt Kayla K Landsberg Hannah H Stuopis Cecilia W CW Turse Joshua E JE Hamer Davidson H DH Springer Michael M

Cell reports methods 20210402 1

Asymptomatic surveillance testing together with COVID-19-related research can lead to positive SARS-CoV-2 tests resulting not from true infections, but non-infectious, non-hazardous by-products of research (amplicons). Amplicons can be widespread and persistent in lab environments and can be difficult to distinguish for true infections. We discuss prevention and mitigation strategies. ...[more]

PMID: 34235497

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Project description:INTRODUCTIONIn November 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent a letter to state and territorial epidemiologists, state and territorial public health laboratory directors, and state and territorial health officials. In this letter, culture-independent diagnostic tests (CIDTs) for detection of enteric pathogens were characterized as "a serious and current threat to public health surveillance, particularly for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and Salmonella" The document says CDC and its public health partners are approaching this issue, in part, by "reviewing regulatory authority in public health agencies to require culture isolates or specimen submission if CIDTs are used." Large-scale foodborne outbreaks are a continuing threat to public health, and tracking these outbreaks is an important tool in shortening them and developing strategies to prevent them. It is clear that the use of CIDTs for enteric pathogen detection, including both antigen detection and multiplex nucleic acid amplification techniques, is becoming more widespread. Furthermore, some clinical microbiology laboratories will resist the mandate to require submission of culture isolates, since it will likely not improve patient outcomes but may add significant costs. Specimen submission would be less expensive and time-consuming for clinical laboratories; however, this approach would be burdensome for public health laboratories, since those laboratories would need to perform culture isolation prior to typing. Shari Shea and Kristy Kubota from the Association of Public Health Laboratories, along with state public health laboratory officials from Colorado, Missouri, Tennessee, and Utah, will explain the public health laboratories' perspective on why having access to isolates of enteric pathogens is essential for public health surveillance, detection, and tracking of outbreaks and offer potential workable solutions which will allow them to do this. Marc Couturier of ARUP Laboratories and Melissa Miller of the University of North Carolina will explain the advantages of CIDTs for enteric pathogens and discuss practical solutions for clinical microbiology laboratories to address these public health needs.

Dataset Information

Amplicon residues in research laboratories masquerade as COVID-19 in surveillance tests.

Publications

Amplicon residues in research laboratories masquerade as COVID-19 in surveillance tests.

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