Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38140638›Full record

ArticleViruses2023

Epidemiological Insights into the Omicron Outbreak via MeltArray-Assisted Real-Time Tracking of SARS-CoV-2 Variants.

Ting Yan, Rongrong Zheng, Yinghui Li, Siyang Sun, Xiaohong Zeng, Zhijiao Yue, Yiqun Liao, Qinghua Hu, Ye Xu, Qingge Li

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Viruses, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Identification and quantification ofJournal of clinical microbiology · 2025
    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.

Ting YanEngineering Research Centre of Molecular Diagnostics of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
Rongrong ZhengXiamen Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Xiamen 361021, China.
Yinghui LiShenzhen Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Siyang SunEngineering Research Centre of Molecular Diagnostics of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
Xiaohong ZengXiamen Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Xiamen 361021, China.
Zhijiao YueShenzhen Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Yiqun LiaoEngineering Research Centre of Molecular Diagnostics of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
Qinghua HuShenzhen Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Ye XuEngineering Research Centre of Molecular Diagnostics of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
Qingge LiEngineering Research Centre of Molecular Diagnostics of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.ORCID 0000-0002-3431-138X

Funding

Fujian Provincial Department of Science and Technology 2021Y4001Fujian Provincial Department of Science and Technology 2023G051Xiamen Science and Technology Bureau 2022CXY0113Xiamen Science and Technology Bureau 3502Z20231025
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The prolonged course of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates sustained surveillance of emerging variants. This study aimed to develop a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR) suitable for the real-time tracking of Omicron subvariants in clinical and wastewater samples. Plasmids containing variant-specific mutations were used to develop a MeltArray assay. After a comprehensive evaluation of both analytical and clinical performance, the established assay was used to detect Omicron variants in clinical and wastewater samples, and the results were compared with those of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). The MeltArray assay identified 14 variant-specific mutations, enabling the detection of five Omicron sublineages (BA.2*, BA.5.2*, BA.2.75*, BQ.1*, and XBB.1*) and eight subvariants (BF.7, BN.1, BR.2, BQ.1.1, XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, XBB.1.9, and BA.4.6). The limit of detection (LOD) of the assay was 50 copies/reaction, and no cross-reactivity was observed with 15 other respiratory viruses. Using NGS as the reference method, the clinical evaluation of 232 swab samples exhibited a clinical sensitivity of > 95.12% (95% CI 89.77-97.75%) and a specificity of > 95.21% (95% CI, 91.15-97.46%). When used to evaluate the Omicron outbreak from late 2022 to early 2023, the MeltArray assay performed on 1408 samples revealed that the epidemic was driven by BA.5.2* (883, 62.71%) and BF.7 (525, 37.29%). Additionally, the MeltArray assay demonstrated potential for estimating variant abundance in wastewater samples. The MeltArray assay is a rapid and scalable method for identifying SARS-CoV-2 variants. Integrating this approach with NGS and ddPCR will improve variant surveillance capabilities and ensure preparedness for future variants.

Indexed as

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2Disease OutbreaksHumansPandemicsReal-Time Polymerase Chain ReactionWastewaterWastewaterCOVID-19multiplex PCRomicron subvariantsSARS-CoV-2wastewater surveillance

Identifiers

PMID38140638
PMCPMC10748191

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.