|
 
 |
| EDITORIAL |
|
| Year : 2021 | Volume
: 5
| Issue : 2 | Page : 41 |
|
Performance evaluation of seven commercial reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays for SARS-COV-2 detection: Real time polymerase chain reaction assays and the COVID-19 pandemic
Mohammed I Danjuma1, Shahda Mohamed Alahsan2
1 Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Qatar University; Department of Medicine, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
2 Department of Medicine, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
| Date of Submission | 07-Jun-2021 |
| Date of Acceptance | 11-Jun-2021 |
| Date of Web Publication | 23-Jul-2021 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Mohammed I Danjuma
Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Qatar University, Doha
Qatar
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/ljms.ljms_36_21
How to cite this article:
Danjuma MI, Alahsan SM. Performance evaluation of seven commercial reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays for SARS-COV-2 detection: Real time polymerase chain reaction assays and the COVID-19 pandemic. Libyan J Med Sci 2021;5:41 |
How to cite this URL:
Danjuma MI, Alahsan SM. Performance evaluation of seven commercial reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays for SARS-COV-2 detection: Real time polymerase chain reaction assays and the COVID-19 pandemic. Libyan J Med Sci [serial online] 2021 [cited 2023 Mar 27];5:41. Available from: https://www.ljmsonline.com/text.asp?2021/5/2/41/322207 |
In this issue of Libyan Journal of Medical Sciences, ElJilani et al.'s report on the comparative performance of commercially available COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays attempts to clarify subsisting uncertainty regarding the maximum utility of these assays in ascertaining the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection.[1] This comparative synthesis becomes a compelling imperative, especially in the light of patients presenting with clinical syndrome highly suggestive of COVID-19 but with negative tests on real-time PCR. These false negatives were a morbidity-liable source of confounding in the clinical management of these patients in the early months of the pandemic and continue to remain so today. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a significant uncertainty in all aspects of its containment, ranging from its phenotype of presentation, the most optimal diagnostic modality through its therapeutics, and ultimately preventive measures such as the use of personal protective equipment, face masks, and immunization. The World Health Organization's (WHO) early recommendation of real-time PCR as the gold standard assay for COVID-19 brought some level of certainty among the myriad of “unknowns” in the initial months of the pandemic.[2] The optimal COVID-19 PCR assay that encompasses all the desirable attributes of a good assay is still “out there,” as uncertainty exists among current assays regarding patient populations, thermal stability of the assays, sample transportation condition, and the robustness of clinical validation among other factors. ElJilani et al.'s attempt at a comparative synthesis of the analytical performance of these various assay platforms therefore is a welcome development. However, it is likely that the definitive way out of this uncertainty may be an attempt at standardization of all COVID-19 PCR assays against an internationally sanctioned benchmark, for example, one drawn by the WHO. Until then, it may be prudent for health authorities in charge of superintending and commissioning both therapeutics and diagnostics in various health facilities to prioritize (among other measures) local validation of any COVID-19 PCR assay before their ultimate deployment.
| References | |  |
| 1. | ElJilani M, Abdusalam M, Abdalla A, Dalyoum T, Ahmad S, Alhudiri I, et al. Performance evaluation of seven commercial RT-PCR assays for SARS-COV-2 detection. Libyan J Med Sci 2021;5:41.  [Full text] |
| 2. | |
|
Search Pubmed for