Cell Reports: Methods (May 2021)
Amplicon residues in research laboratories masquerade as COVID-19 in surveillance tests
- Dan Davidi,
- Susan Fitzgerald,
- Hannah L. Glaspell,
- Samantha Jalbert,
- Catherine M. Klapperich,
- Lena Landaverde,
- Stylianos Maheras,
- Stephanie E. Mattoon,
- Vanessa M. Britto,
- Giang T. Nguyen,
- Judy T. Platt,
- Kayla Kuhfeldt,
- Hannah Landsberg,
- Cecilia W. Stuopis,
- Joshua E. Turse,
- Davidson H. Hamer,
- Michael Springer
Affiliations
- Dan Davidi
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Susan Fitzgerald
- Harvard University Health Services, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Hannah L. Glaspell
- Biological Safety, Environment, Health and Safety, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY USA
- Samantha Jalbert
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Catherine M. Klapperich
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Precision Diagnostics Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215
- Lena Landaverde
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Precision Diagnostics Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215
- Stylianos Maheras
- Harvard University Health Services, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Stephanie E. Mattoon
- Biological Safety, Environment, Health and Safety, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY USA
- Vanessa M. Britto
- Department of Medicine/University Health Services, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- Giang T. Nguyen
- Harvard University Health Services, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Judy T. Platt
- Student Health Services, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Kayla Kuhfeldt
- Student Health Services, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Hannah Landsberg
- Student Health Services, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Cecilia W. Stuopis
- MIT Medical, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Joshua E. Turse
- Biological Safety, Environment, Health and Safety, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY USA
- Davidson H. Hamer
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Michael Springer
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Corresponding author
- Journal volume & issue
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Vol. 1,
no. 1
p. 100005
Abstract
Asymptomatic surveillance testing together with COVID-19-related research can lead to positive SARS-CoV-2 tests resulting not from true infections, but non-infectious, non-hazardous by-products of research (amplicons). Amplicons can be widespread and persistent in lab environments and can be difficult to distinguish for true infections. We discuss prevention and mitigation strategies.
