Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41599055›Full record

ArticlePathogens (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Comparative Evaluation of Automated Nucleic Acid Extraction Systems for DNA and RNA Viral Target.

Davide Treggiari, Concetta Castilletti, Lavinia Nicolini, Cristina Mazzi, Francesca Perandin, Fabio Formenti

Abstract readComparative StudyEvaluation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

6 authors.

Davide TreggiariDepartment of Infectious-Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, Verona, Italy.
Concetta CastillettiDepartment of Infectious-Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, Verona, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-9819-236X
Lavinia NicoliniDepartment of Infectious-Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, Verona, Italy.
Cristina MazziClinical Research Unit, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, Verona, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-4561-3447
Francesca PerandinDepartment of Infectious-Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, Verona, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-3933-3892
Fabio FormentiDepartment of Infectious-Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, Verona, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-3203-0872

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEfficient nucleic acid extraction is essential for reliable viral load testing, yet performance can differ widely depending on the extraction system and sample type. We compared three automated platforms, QIAcube, EZ1 Advanced, and Maxwell RSC, for their ability to recover cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA and West Nile virus (WNV) RNA from common clinical matrices.

methodsMock specimens were prepared using whole blood, plasma, serum, and urine collected from two donors. Samples were spiked with CMV or WNV culture material and extracted in triplicate on each platform according to the manufacturers' protocols. Viral loads were measured using ELITech ELITE MGB assays on the InGenius system. Whole blood samples were also tested after a 1:4 dilution. Matrix-specific standard curves were applied, and viral loads were compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests with false-discovery rate adjustment.

resultsExtraction efficiency differed substantially by platform and specimen type. For CMV, QIAcube consistently produced the highest DNA recovery across all matrices, with particularly large differences in plasma and serum, where EZ1 and Maxwell RSC yielded significantly lower loads. The WNV results varied by matrix: EZ1 and QIAcube performed similarly in plasma, while Maxwell RSC achieved the highest RNA recovery in whole blood. While the QIAcube exhibited reduced WNV recovery in blood, it achieved the best performance in serum, as specified by the kit. No significant platform differences were observed for urine. Diluting whole blood reduced variability between platforms.

conclusionsBoth sample matrix and extraction system strongly influence nucleic acid recovery. These results highlight the need for matrix-specific validation and standardized extraction approaches in molecular diagnostics.

Indexed as

DNA, ViralRNA, ViralWest Nile virusCytomegalovirusCytomegalovirus InfectionsHumansViral LoadDNA, ViralRNA, Viralautomated nucleic-acid extraction systemclinical matrixdiluted whole bloodDNA virusmagnetic bead-basedplasmaRNA virusserumsilica column-basedurinewhole blood

Identifiers

PMID41599055
PMCPMC12845412

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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.