May 24, 2021

Clinical and Experimental Factors That Affect the Reported Performance Characteristics of Rapid Testing for SARS-CoV-2

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Testing and Treatment

Keywords (Tags): testing

• [Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A systematic review (n = 83 studies) of the diagnostic accuracy of SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen lateral flow testing (RALFT) compared to RT-qPCR among symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals found the overall sensitivity for RALFT was 75%, and the sensitivity was higher among symptomatic individuals. Viral load was the most important factor for test sensitivity, but other factors, such as specimen storage and anatomical collection type, also affected performance. RALFT and RT-qPCR testing were both highly sensitive compared to viral culture.

Parvu et al. (May 22, 2021). Clinical and Experimental Factors That Affect the Reported Performance Characteristics of Rapid Testing for SARS-CoV-2. Pre-print downloaded May 24 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.20.21257181