Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Normalized Viral Loads and Subgenomic RNA Detection as Tools for Improving Clinical Decision Making and Work Reincorporation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) provides a highly variable cycle threshold (Ct) value that cannot distinguish viral infectivity. Subgenomic ribonucleic acid (sgRNA) has been used to monitor active replication. Given the importance of long RT-PCR positivity and the need for work reincorporation and discontinuing isolation, we studied the functionality of normalized viral loads (NVLs) for patient monitoring and sgRNA for viral infectivity detection.

Methods

The NVLs measured through the Nucleocapsid and RNA-dependent-RNA-polymerase genes and sgRNA RT-PCRs were performed in 2 consecutive swabs from 84 healthcare workers.

Results

The NVLs provided similar and accurate quantiti

SUBMITTER: Santos Bravo M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8436374 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature