Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38737987›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in epidemiology2024

Association between SARS-CoV-2 gene specific Ct values and COVID-19 associated in-hospital mortality.

Mpho L Sikhosana, Richard Welch, Alfred Musekiwa, Zinhle Makatini, Joy Ebonwu, Lucille Blumberg, Waasila Jassat

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in epidemiology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. 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

7 authors.

Mpho L SikhosanaDepartment of Virology, National Health Laboratory Service, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Richard WelchDepartment of Public Health and Outbreak Response, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Alfred MusekiwaFaculty of Health Sciences, School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Zinhle MakatiniDepartment of Virology, National Health Laboratory Service, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Joy EbonwuDepartment of Public Health and Outbreak Response, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Lucille BlumbergDepartment of Public Health and Outbreak Response, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Waasila JassatDepartment of Public Health and Outbreak Response, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Since there are currently no specific SARS-CoV-2 prognostic viral biomarkers for predicting disease severity, there has been interest in using SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) cycle-threshold (Ct) values to predict disease progression. Objective: This study assessed the association between in-hospital mortality of hospitalized COVID-19 cases and Ct-values of gene targets specific to SARS-CoV-2. Methods: Clinical data of hospitalized COVID-19 cases from Gauteng Province from April 2020-July 2022 were obtained from a national surveillance system and linked to laboratory data. The study period was divided into pandemic waves: Asp614Gly/wave1 (7 June-22 Aug 2020); beta/wave2 (15 Nov 2020-6 Feb 2021); delta/wave3 (9 May-18 Sept 2021) and omicron/wave4 (21 Nov 2021-22 Jan 2022). Ct-value data of genes specific to SARS-CoV-2 according to testing platforms (Roche-ORF gene; GeneXpert-N2 gene; Abbott-RdRp gene) were categorized as low (Ct < 20), mid (Ct20-30) or high (Ct > 30). Results: There were 1205 recorded cases: 836(69.4%; wave1), 122(10.1%;wave2) 21(1.7%; wave3) and 11(0.9%;in wave4). The cases' mean age(±SD) was 49 years(±18), and 662(54.9%) were female. There were 296(24.6%) deaths recorded: 241(81.4%;wave1), 27 (9.1%;wave2), 6 (2%;wave3), and 2 (0.7%;wave4) ( Conclusion: Although odds of COVID19-related death were high amongst cases with Ct-values <30, Ct values were not comparable across different testing platforms, thus precluding the comparison of SARS-CoV-2 Ct-value results.

Indexed as

Ct valuesmortalityPCRSARS-CoV-2South Africa

Identifiers

PMID38737987
PMCPMC11082284

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.