Two Pandemics, One Challenge—Leveraging Molecular Test Capacity of Tuberculosis Laboratories for Rapid COVID-19 Case-Finding
| Autor: | Susanne Homolka, Laura Paulowski, Sönke Andres, Doris Hillemann, Ruwen Jou, Gunar Günther, Mareli Claassens, Martin Kuhns, Stefan Niemann, Florian P. Maurer |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol 26, Iss 11, Pp 2549-2554 (2020) |
| Druh dokumentu: | article |
| ISSN: | 1080-6040 1080-6059 |
| DOI: | 10.3201/eid2611.202602 |
| Popis: | In many settings, the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic coincides with other major public health threats, in particular tuberculosis. Using tuberculosis (TB) molecular diagnostic infrastructure, which has substantially expanded worldwide in recent years, for COVID-19 case-finding might be warranted. We analyze the potential of using TB diagnostic and research infrastructures for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing. We focused on quality control by adapting the 12 Quality System Essentials framework to the COVID-19 and TB context. We conclude that diagnostic infrastructures for TB can in principle be leveraged to scale-up SARS-CoV-2 testing, in particular in resource-poor settings. TB research infrastructures also can support sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 to study virus evolution and diversity globally. However, fundamental principles of quality management must be followed for both TB and SARS-CoV-2 testing to ensure valid results and to minimize biosafety hazards, and the continuity of TB diagnostic services must be guaranteed at all times. |
| Databáze: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
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