Variant-specific RT-qPCR for rapid screening of B.1.617 mutations in SARS-CoV-2
Open Access
- 5 September 2022
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Libyan Journal of Medicine
- Vol. 17 (1), 2121252
- https://doi.org/10.1080/19932820.2022.2121252
Abstract
The continuous emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants required rapid and reliable diagnostic methods for early detection and monitoring of the spread of the virus, especially in low-resource countries where whole genome sequencing is not available. We aimed to evaluate and compare the performance of two different RT-qPCR screening assays for the detection of B.1.617 lineage mutations. A total of 85 SARS-CoV-2 positive samples were collected between 9th August and 10 September 2021 and screened by two mutation-specific RT-qPCR assays for simultaneous detection of B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 lineage mutations. VIASURE Variant II PCR assay identified 2 Delta variant-specific mutations (L452R, and P681 R) in 80% of tested samples, while the PKamp™ Variant Detect™ assay was only able to detect one Delta variant specific mutation (L452R) in 75% of tested samples. This is the first report to show the Delta variant as the cause of the third wave in Libya. The use of multiplex RT-qPCR assays has allowed the identification of new variants for rapid screening. However, RT-qPCR results should be confirmed by whole genome sequencing of SARS-COV-2.Keywords
Funding Information
- Libyan Biotechnology Research Centre, Tripoli, Libya
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