Study finds technology shows concordance with PCR testing and can detect leading edge of outbreak in asymptomatic people<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) — CRISPR-based assays appear to be reliable for surveillance testing and detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreaks in higher education settings, according to a study published online Feb. 11 in JAMA Network Open<\/em>.<\/p>\n Jennifer N. Rauch, Ph.D., from the University of California in Santa Barbara, and colleagues used CREST (Cas13-based, rugged, equitable, scalable testing), a CRISPR-based test, and a point-of-reference reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) test to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic participants in a university community. The analysis included 1,808 asymptomatic participants, who self-collected oropharyngeal swab samples from May 28 to June 11, 2020, and from June 23 to July 2, 2020 (732 and 1,076 individuals, respectively).<\/p>\n The researchers found that test results were all negative for the early cohort, but there were nine positive results by RT-qPCR in the later cohort. Eight of nine positive samples were detected by the CRISPR-based assay and confirmed by Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-certified diagnostic testing. Individuals with positive cases had a mean age of 21.7 years, with all positive individuals self-identifying as students. In the asymptomatic cases, the viral loads detected were similar to those seen in clinical samples, highlighting the potential of covert viral transmission. Relaxation of stay-at-home measures coincided with the shift in viral prevalence.<\/p>\n “The concordance between RT-qPCR testing and our strategy of using oropharyngeal swabs and CRISPR-based assay substantiates the feasibility of using simpler, equally robust approaches for high-volume recurrent testing, which is a desirable strategy to facilitate the reopening of colleges and universities,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Several authors disclosed pending patents related to the detection methods used in the study.<\/p>\n