Amplicon residues in research laboratories masquerade as COVID-19 in surveillance tests
| العنوان: | Amplicon residues in research laboratories masquerade as COVID-19 in surveillance tests |
|---|---|
| المؤلفون: | Joshua E. Turse, Susan Fitzgerald, Michael Springer, Giang T. Nguyen, Stylianos Maheras, Vanessa M. Britto, Dan Davidi, Hannah N. Landsberg, Catherine M. Klapperich, Davidson H. Hamer, Lena Landaverde, Judy T. Platt, Hannah L. Glaspell, Stephanie E. Mattoon, Cecilia W. Stuopis, Kayla Kuhfeldt, Samantha Keough Jalbert |
| المساهمون: | MIT Medical |
| المصدر: | Elsevier Cell Reports Methods Cell Reports: Methods, Vol 1, Iss 1, Pp 100005-(2021) |
| بيانات النشر: | Elsevier BV, 2021. |
| سنة النشر: | 2021 |
| مصطلحات موضوعية: | Cultural Studies, History, 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak, Literature and Literary Theory, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), business.industry, Science, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), fungi, food and beverages, QD415-436, Amplicon, Biochemistry, Virology, Commentary, Medicine, business, TP248.13-248.65, Biotechnology |
| الوصف: | 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. Asymptomatic surveillance testing is a powerful approach for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2, currently utilized by multiple research institutes as part of routine pandemic response protocols. In combination with the recent explosion in COVID-19 related research, many research labs are working with SARS-CoV-2 genetic material. This raises a critical issue: some positive test results are due to the detection of the non-infectious, non-hazardous genetic sequences used for research (amplicons) instead of true COVID-19 infections. By collecting positive test results from several of the universities associated with this study, we identified a cohort of individuals working with SARS-CoV-2 genetic material for non-diagnostic purposes. Follow-up PCR and antibody tests on a subset of 39 individuals showed that 36 of those were not true COVID-19 cases, but instead their positive test result likely arose from amplicon contamination. In research labs working with genetic materials derived from the virus, environmental testing indicated amplicon residue might be present on surfaces including on notebooks, keyboards, drinking glasses, and doorknobs. Removal of individuals from standard testing protocols, per CDC guidelines for positive cases, risks the spread of true infection if the individuals were to be truly infected during the recommended 90 days no-testing period after an initial positive test. On the basis of this risk, combined with unnecessary isolation, quarantine, and contact tracing, we argue that it is critical to minimize instances of amplicon contamination and develop protocols for handling suspected cases to propel research efforts and avoid diverting resources from patients with COVID-19. Although our results show how amplicon contamination in research environments can lead to false positives, they also demonstrate that it is important to perform follow-up tests of those asymptomatic individuals because some might be cases of true infection. Given that amplicon contamination has not been a problem in CLIA labs, we discuss potential prevention and mitigation strategies and emphasize the relevance of this study beyond this pandemic. |
| وصف الملف: | application/pdf |
| URL الوصول: | https://explore.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=doi_dedup___::5cd76407e3932fd613206ab2dd57cad1 https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/131118 |
| حقوق: | OPEN |
| رقم الأكسشن: | edsair.doi.dedup.....5cd76407e3932fd613206ab2dd57cad1 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | OpenAIRE |
| الوصف غير متاح. |