Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34645658›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2021

Screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection in asymptomatic individuals using the Panbio COVID-19 antigen rapid test (Abbott) compared with RT-PCR: a prospective cohort study.

Beatrice Winkel, Emma Schram, Hendrik Gremmels, Sylvia Debast, Rob Schuurman, Annemarie Wensing, Marc Bonten, Edwin Goedhart, Marije Hofstra, Antigen Rapid Test Validation Group

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 15% 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

14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The Infectious Diseases Society of America Guidelines on the Diagnosis of COVID-19: Antigen Testing (January 2023).Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2024
    Guideline
  2. Rapid, point-of-care antigen tests for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022
    Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Engineering Innovative Interfaces for Point-of-Care Diagnostics.Current opinion in colloid & interface science · 2023
    Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
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  8. Review
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  12. Review
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  14. Diagnostic performance of a SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test in a large, Norwegian cohort.Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology · 2021
    Article
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

10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Beatrice WinkelDepartment of Medical Microbiology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-6955-8289
Emma SchramDepartment of Medical Microbiology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Hendrik GremmelsDepartment of Medical Microbiology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Sylvia DebastLaboratory of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease, Isala, Zwolle, Overijssel, The Netherlands.
Rob SchuurmanDepartment of Medical Microbiology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Annemarie WensingDepartment of Medical Microbiology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Marc BontenDepartment of Medical Microbiology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Edwin GoedhartRoyal Netherlands Football Association, KNVB, Zeist, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Marije HofstraDepartment of Medical Microbiology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands l.m.hofstra-4@umcutrecht.nl.
Antigen Rapid Test Validation Group
University Medical Center Utrecht · NLIsala · NLRoyal Dutch Football Association · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAntigen-based point-of-care tests for identification of SARS-CoV-2 may markedly enhance effectiveness of population-based controlling strategies. Previous studies have demonstrated >70% sensitivity and high specificity compared with reverse transcriptase real-time PCR (RT-PCR) in symptomatic individuals, but test performance for asymptomatic individuals is unknown.

methodsTest performance of the Panbio COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test (Abbott) was compared with RT-PCR in a longitudinal cohort study of asymptomatic football players and staff members of professional football clubs. Based on timing of symptoms and prior and subsequent test results, positive RT-PCR tests were categorised as presymptomatic, early or late infection, or persistent RNA shedding.

findings2425 tests were performed in 824 individuals, of which 52 (6.3%) were SARS-CoV-2 positive based on RT-PCR. There were 2406 paired sets from asymptomatic subjects for analysis. Sixteen Panbio tests were inconclusive, for which sensitivity analyses were performed (considering results as either positive or negative or being excluded). Sensitivity of Panbio for screening of asymptomatic individuals ranged from 80.0% (61.4-92.3) to 86.67% (69.2-96.2) and specificity from 99.53% (95% CI 99.2 to 99.8) to 100% (95% CI 99.8 to 100). Sensitivity of Panbio to detect subjects with presymptomatic/early infection (n=42) ranged from 81.82% (95% CI 67.3 to 91.8) to 90.91% (95% CI 78.3 to 97.5) with specificity always above 99%.

interpretationThe Panbio COVID-19 Ag rapid test identifies 81%-90% of presymptomatic and early asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections with high specificity. This test may therefore be adopted in testing strategies such as targeted screening of specific populations where prevalence is low.

Indexed as

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2Antigens, ViralCohort StudiesHumansLongitudinal StudiesProspective StudiesReal-Time Polymerase Chain ReactionReverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain ReactionSensitivity and SpecificityAntigens, ViralCOVID-19diagnostic microbiologypublic healthvirology

Identifiers

PMID34645658
PMCPMC8520587
OpenAlexW3205414824

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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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.