02293nas a2200301   4500008004100000022001400041245015200055210006900207260001600276300000900292490000800301520121000309653001201519653001301531653002101544653001101565653004001576653001501616653003201631100002601663700002301689700001701712700002001729700002601749700002001775700002201795856017401817       2023                        eng d  a1469-440900aEvaluation of a combined detection of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants using real-time allele-specific PCR strategy: an advantage for clinical practice.0 aEvaluation of a combined detection of SARSCoV2 and its variants   c2023 Nov 24  ae2010 v1513 a<p>This study aimed to assess the ability of a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with multiple targets to detect SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in a single test. Nasopharyngeal specimens were collected from patients in Granada, Spain, between January 2021 and December 2022. Five allele-specific RT-PCR kits were used sequentially, with each kit designed to detect a predominant variant at the time. When the Alpha variant was dominant, the kit included the HV69/70 deletion, E and N genes. When Delta replaced Alpha, the kit incorporated the L452R mutation in addition to E and N genes. When Omicron became dominant, L452R was replaced with the N679K mutation. Before incorporating each variant kit, a comparative analysis was carried out with SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequencing (WGS). The results demonstrated that RT-PCR with multiple targets can provide rapid and effective detection of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in a single test. A very high degree of agreement (96.2%) was obtained between the comparison of RT-PCR and WGS. Allele-specific RT-PCR assays make it easier to implement epidemiological surveillance systems for effective public health decision making.</p>10aAlleles10aCOVID-1910aCOVID-19 Testing10aHumans10aReal-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction10aSARS-CoV-210aSensitivity and Specificity1 aChaves-Blanco, Lucía1 ade Salazar, Adolfo1 aFuentes, Ana1 aViñuela, Laura1 aPerez-Florido, Javier1 aDopazo, Joaquin1 aGarcía, Federico  uhttps://www.clinbioinfosspa.es/content/evaluation-combined-detection-sars-cov-2-and-its-variants-using-real-time-allele-specific-pcr-strategy-advantage-clinical-practice