Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

May 21, 2021

Mutation-Specific SARS-CoV-2 PCR Screen: Rapid and Accurate Detection of Variants of Concern and the Identification of a Newly Emerging Variant with Spike L452R Mutation

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  • An evaluation of a novel multiplex, mutation-specific PCR-based assay on 247 SARS-CoV-2 positive samples found 100% concordance for strain typing of variants B.1.1.7 and P.1 compared to whole genome sequencing methods. This method detects five variants of concern and three variants of interest, including the B.1.526.1 variant emerging in the Eastern US. The assay can be run in real-time, produces results within several hours, and is less costly than whole genome sequencing. The authors suggest this test could allow for an expansion of genomic surveillance to detect and monitor emerging variants of concern. 

Wang et al. (May 19, 2021). Mutation-Specific SARS-CoV-2 PCR Screen: Rapid and Accurate Detection of Variants of Concern and the Identification of a Newly Emerging Variant with Spike L452R Mutation. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00926-21