Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34132419›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical laboratory analysis2021

Evaluation of automated molecular tests for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in pooled nasopharyngeal and saliva specimens.

Hamad Al-Hail, Faheem Mirza, Alaa Al Hashemi, Muneera Naseer Ahmad, Muhammad Iqbal, Patrick Tang, Mohammad Rubayet Hasan

Open access · goldAbstract readEvaluation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical laboratory analysis, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 38% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Hamad Al-HailSidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
Faheem MirzaSidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
Alaa Al HashemiSidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
Muneera Naseer AhmadSidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
Muhammad IqbalSidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
Patrick TangSidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
Mohammad Rubayet HasanSidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4658-7949
Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar · QA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPooling of samples for SARS-CoV-2 testing in low-prevalence settings has been used as an effective strategy to expand testing capacity and mitigate challenges with the shortage of supplies. We evaluated two automated molecular test systems for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in pooled specimens.

methodsPooled nasopharyngeal and saliva specimens were tested by Qiagen QIAstat-Dx Respiratory SARS-CoV-2 Panel (QIAstat) or Cepheid Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 (Xpert), and the results were compared to that of standard RT-qPCR tests without pooling.

resultsIn nasopharyngeal specimens, the sensitivity/specificity of the pool testing approach, with 5 and 10 specimens per pool, were 77%/100% (n = 105) and 74.1%/100% (n = 260) by QIAstat, and 97.1%/100% (n = 250) and 100%/99.5% (n = 200) by Xpert, respectively. Pool testing of saliva (10 specimens per pool; n = 150) by Xpert resulted in 87.5% sensitivity and 99.3% specificity compared to individual tests. Pool size of 5 or 10 specimens did not significantly affect the difference of RT-qPCR cycle threshold (C

conclusionOur results suggest that Xpert SARS-CoV-2 can be utilized for pooled sample testing for COVID-19 screening in low-prevalence settings providing significant cost savings and improving throughput without affecting test quality.

Indexed as

Automation, LaboratoryCOVID-19 Nucleic Acid TestingCOVID-19 TestingHumansMolecular Diagnostic TechniquesNasopharynxReal-Time Polymerase Chain ReactionSalivaSensitivity and SpecificityCOVID-19QIAstat-Dx Respiratory SARS-CoV-2 Panelsample poolingSARS-CoV-2Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID34132419
PMCPMC8373324
OpenAlexW3118483773

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.