학술논문
A SARS-CoV-2 Negative Antigen Rapid Diagnostic in RT-qPCR Positive Samples Correlates With a Low Likelihood of Infectious Viruses in the Nasopharynx
Document Type
article
Author
Isadora Alonso Corrêa; Débora Souza Faffe; Rafael Mello Galliez; Cássia Cristina Alves Gonçalves; Richard Araújo Maia; Gustavo Peixoto da Silva; Filipe Romero Rebello Moreira; Diana Mariani; Mariana Freire Campos; Isabela de Carvalho Leitão; Marcos Romário de Souza; Marcela Sabino Cunha; Érica Ramos dos Santos Nascimento; Liane de Jesus Ribeiro; Thais Felix Cordeiro da Cruz; Cintia Policarpo; Luis Gonzales; Mary A. Rodgers; Michael Berg; Roy Vijesurier; Gavin A. Cloherty; John Hackett; Orlando da Costa Ferreira; Terezinha Marta Pereira Pinto Castiñeiras; Amilcar Tanuri; Luciana Jesus da Costa
Source
Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol 13 (2022)
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
1664-302X
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) transmission occurs even among fully vaccinated individuals; thus, prompt identification of infected patients is central to control viral circulation. Antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) are highly specific, but sensitivity is variable. Discordant RT-qPCR vs. Ag-RDT results are reported, raising the question of whether negative Ag-RDT in positive RT-qPCR samples could imply the absence of infectious viruses. To study the relationship between negative Ag-RDT results with virological, molecular, and serological parameters, we selected a cross-sectional and a follow-up dataset and analyzed virus culture, subgenomic RNA quantification, and sequencing to determine infectious viruses and mutations. We demonstrated that RT-qPCR positive while SARS-CoV-2 Ag-RDT negative discordant results correlate with the absence of infectious virus in nasopharyngeal samples. A decrease in sgRNA detection together with an expected increase in detectable anti-S and anti-N IgGs was also verified in these samples. The data clearly demonstrate that a negative Ag-RDT sample is less likely to harbor infectious SARS-CoV-2 and, consequently, has a lower transmissible potential.