Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

May 3, 2021

Comparative Diagnostic Performance of Different Rapid Antigen Detection Tests for COVID-19 in the Real-World Hospital Setting

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  • A comparison of the diagnostic performance of seven antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs, both lateral flow immunochromatographic tests and fluorescent immunoassay tests) in real-world hospital settings found a wide range of sensitivity estimates by test brand (range 66.0–93.8%) and cycle threshold (Ct) cut-off values (Ct < 25: 96.2%; Ct 30-35: 31.1%), with an optimal Ct cutoff of 29 to maximize sensitivity. The authors concluded that routine use of these tests may be helpful in situations where high volumes of specimens are tested daily, but performance of commercially available tests may differ substantially. 

Bruzzone et al. (Apr 2021). Comparative Diagnostic Performance of Different Rapid Antigen Detection Tests for COVID-19 in the Real-World Hospital Setting. International Journal of Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2021.04.072