Development and performance evaluation of a low-cost in-house rRT-PCR assay in Ecuador for the detection of SARS-CoV-2

Autor: Marco A. Salinas, Ronny Pibaque, Paul A. Beltran, David De la Torre, Jorge Pérez-Galarza, Tatiana J. Veloz, Lucy Y. Baldeón, Diana F. Aguirre
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
DOI: 10.1101/2021.08.03.21260966
Popis: AntecedentsEcuador has had the greatest fatality rate from Coronavirus (COVID-19) in South America during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. To control the pandemic, it is necessary to test as much population as possible to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. For the Ecuadorian population, accessing a PCR test is challenging, since commercial screening kits tend to be expensive. Objective: the objective of this study was to develop an in-house duplex rRT-PCR protocol for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 that contributes to the screening while keeping quality and low testing costs. Results: An in-house duplex rRT-PCR protocol based on the viral envelope (E) gene target of SARS-CoV-2 and a human ribonuclease P gene (RP) as an internal control is reported. The protocol was optimized to obtain primers E with an efficiency of up to 94.45% and detection of 100% of SARS-CoV-2 up to 15 copies per uL. The clinical performance was determined by a sensibility of 93.8% and specificity of 98.3%. Conclusion: we developed, standardized, and validated a low-cost, sensitive in-house duplex rRT-PCR assay that may be utilized in low-income countries.
Databáze: OpenAIRE