Emerging Infectious Diseases (Nov 2021)

Correlation of SARS-CoV-2 Subgenomic RNA with Antigen Detection in Nasal Midturbinate Swab Specimens

  • Katherine Immergluck,
  • Mark D. Gonzalez,
  • Jennifer K. Frediani,
  • Joshua M. Levy,
  • Janet Figueroa,
  • Anna Wood,
  • Beverly B. Rogers,
  • Jared O’Neal,
  • Roger Elias-Marcellin,
  • Allie Suessmith,
  • Julie Sullivan,
  • Raymond F. Schinazi,
  • Ahmed Babiker,
  • Anne Piantadosi,
  • Miriam B. Vos,
  • Greg S. Martin,
  • Wilbur A. Lam,
  • Jesse J. Waggoner

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2711.211135
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 27, no. 11
pp. 2887 – 2891

Abstract

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Among symptomatic outpatients, subgenomic RNA of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in nasal midturbinate swab specimens was concordant with antigen detection but remained detectable in 13 (82.1%) of 16 nasopharyngeal swab specimens from antigen-negative persons. Subgenomic RNA in midturbinate swab specimens might be useful for routine diagnostics to identify active virus replication.

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