Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34695480›Full record

ArticleJournal of virological methods2022

Evaluation of sample pooling using the SAMBA II SARS-CoV-2 test.

Katy Heaney, Allyson V Ritchie, Rowan Henry, Adam J Harvey, Martin D Curran, Jean-Pierre Allain, Helen H Lee

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of virological methods, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 39% 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 6 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 4 institutions in 1 country.

Katy HeaneyBerkshire and Surrey Pathology Services, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth Rd, Frimley, Camberley, GU16 7UJ, UK.
Allyson V RitchieDiagnostics for the Real World, Chesterford Research Park, Little Chesterford, CB10 1XL, UK. Electronic address: aritchie@drw-ltd.com.
Rowan HenryBerkshire and Surrey Pathology Services, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth Rd, Frimley, Camberley, GU16 7UJ, UK.
Adam J HarveyDiagnostics for the Real World, Chesterford Research Park, Little Chesterford, CB10 1XL, UK.
Martin D CurranClinical Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Jean-Pierre AllainUniversity of Cambridge, UK.
Helen H LeeDiagnostics for the Real World, Chesterford Research Park, Little Chesterford, CB10 1XL, UK.
Diagnostics for the Real World (United Kingdom) · GBFrimley Health NHS Foundation Trust · GBAddenbrooke's Hospital · GBUniversity of Cambridge · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundScreening of infectious asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic individuals for SARS-CoV-2 is at present a key to controling the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to expand testing capability and limit cost, pool testing of asymtomatic individuals has been proposed, provided assay performance is not significantly affected.

methodsCombined nose and throat (N/T) swabs collected from COVID-19 infected or non-infected individuals were tested using SAMBA II individually and in pools of four (one positive and 3 negative). The evaluation was conducted by the manufacturer and an independent NHS site. Ct cycles of individual positives and pooled positives were determined by qRT-PCR.

resultsIn 42 pools containing a single positive sample with Ct values ranging between 17 and 36, 41 pools (97.6 %) were found positive by the SARS-CoV-2 SAMBA II test. The false-negative pool by SAMBA was also negative by both reference methods used in this evaluation.The individual positive sample in this pool was positive by SAMBA (Orf only) and by one of the reference methods (S gene only, Ct 35) but negative by the second reference method indicating that the sample itself was very low viral load. All 78 pools containing 4 negative swabs were negative (100 % specificity). DISCUSSION: The preliminary data of the evaluation indicated a high level of performance in both sensitivity and specificity of the SAMBA II assay when used to test pools of 4 patient samples. The implementation of this pooled protocol can increase throughput and reduce cost/test when the prevalence of COVID is low.

Indexed as

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2Diagnostic Tests, RoutineHumansPandemicsSensitivity and SpecificitySpecimen HandlingCOVID-19Molecular testingPoint-of-carePool testingSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID34695480
PMCPMC8532376
OpenAlexW3209274518

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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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.