Indian journal of medical microbiology
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Indian J Med Microbiol · Jul 2020
Comparative StudyComparison of two real-time polymerase chain reaction assays for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome-CoV-2 from combined nasopharyngeal-throat swabs.
In the absence of effective treatment or vaccine, the current strategy for the prevention of further transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection is early diagnosis and isolation of cases. The diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 is done by detecting viral RNA in the nasopharyngeal and throat swabs by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Many commercial assays are now available for performing the PCR assay. ⋯ The results highlight the need for careful evaluation of commercial kits before being deployed for screening of COVID-19 infections.
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Indian J Med Microbiol · Jul 2020
ReviewSteps, implementation and importance of quality management in diagnostic laboratories with special emphasis on coronavirus disease-2019.
A well-established and functional quality management system is an integral part of any diagnostic laboratory. It assures the reliability and standards of the laboratory function. A pandemic situation such as that caused by the influenza H1N1 2009 virus or the recent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) increases the demands on the public health system, and the need to build, upgrade and expand the number of diagnostic laboratories. ⋯ Currently, there are 1922 laboratories, operational for COVID-19 diagnosis in India. Considering the urgency of testing, the NABL has expedited the process of accreditation and issued accreditation to 818 laboratories. The adherence to the practicable aspects of quality described in this article would help in establishing quality in COVID-19 testing laboratories.
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Although children with novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) typically present with fever and respiratory symptoms, some children have reported gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms including vomiting and diarrhoea during the course of the disease. The continuous positive detection of the viral RNA from faeces in children even after nasopharyngeal swabs turned negative suggests that the GI tract may shed virus and a tentative faecal-oral transmission. ⋯ COVID-19 has implications for the management of children with chronic luminal diseases. There is increasing concern regarding the risk that children with inflammatory bowel disease being infected with SARS-CoV-2.
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Indian J Med Microbiol · Jul 2020
Review Meta AnalysisEffect of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19 virological outcomes: An updated meta-analysis.
As anti-malarial drugs have been found to inhibit Corona viruses in vitro, studies have evaluated the effect of these drugs inCOVID-19 infection. We conducted an updated meta-analysis of clinical trials and observational studies published till June 2020. Patients with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) infection were included. ⋯ To conclude, CQ/HCQ does not affect the time to virological cure compared to usual/standard of care in COVID-19 infection. Recurrent infection in a smaller number of patients was noted in the CQ/HCQ group. As the evidence generated was of "very low-quality/certainty)", large good quality studies are needed to confirm the present findings.
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Indian J Med Microbiol · Jul 2020
Analysis of multi-sample pools in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA for mass screening: An Indian perspective.
In the current COVID-19 crisis, many national healthcare systems are confronted with a huge demand for mass testing and an acute shortage of diagnostic resources. Considering group testing as a viable solution, this pilot study was carried out to find the maximum number of samples that can be pooled together to accurately detect one positive sample carrying the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 viral RNA from different pools. We made different pool sizes ranging from 5 to 30 samples. ⋯ The pools underwent real-time qualitative PCR for the determination of effective maximum pool size. It was observed that up to 20-sample pools of all positive samples could accurately be detected in terms of both E gene and RdRp gene, leading to considerable conservation of resources, time and workforce. However, while deciding the optimal pool size, the infection level in that particular geographical area and sensitivity of the test assay used (limit of detection) have to be taken into account.