Novel RT-PCR Using Sugar Chain-Immobilized Gold-Nanoparticles Correlates Patients’ Symptoms: The Follow-Up Study of COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients
Takashi Kajiya,
Hayate Sawayama,
Eriko Arima,
Mika Okamoto,
Masanori Baba,
Masaaki Toyama,
Kosuke Okuya,
Makoto Ozawa,
Nobuhiko Atsuchi,
Junichiro Nishi,
Yasuo Suda
Affiliations
Takashi Kajiya
Clinical Research Center, Tenyoukai Central Hospital, 6-7 Izumi-cho, Kagoshima 892-0822, Japan
Hayate Sawayama
Laboratory of Collaborational Research for Glyco-Nanotechnology, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, 1-21-40 Kohrimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
Eriko Arima
Laboratory of Collaborational Research for Glyco-Nanotechnology, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, 1-21-40 Kohrimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
Mika Okamoto
Center for Advanced Science Research and Promotion, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
Masanori Baba
Center for Advanced Science Research and Promotion, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
Masaaki Toyama
Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan
Kosuke Okuya
Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
Makoto Ozawa
Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
Nobuhiko Atsuchi
Clinical Research Center, Tenyoukai Central Hospital, 6-7 Izumi-cho, Kagoshima 892-0822, Japan
Junichiro Nishi
Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan
Yasuo Suda
Laboratory of Collaborational Research for Glyco-Nanotechnology, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, 1-21-40 Kohrimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
Background: The transmissible capacity and toxicity of SARS-CoV-2 variants are continually changing. We report here the follow-up study of hospitalized COVID-19 patients from 2020 to 2022. It is known that the PCR diagnosis for hospitalized patients sometimes causes confusion because of the incompatibility between their diagnosis and symptoms. We applied our sugar chain-immobilized gold-nanoparticles for the extraction and partial purification of RNA from specimens for quantitative RT-PCR assay and evaluated whether the results correlate with patients’ symptoms. Methods and Results: Saliva specimens were taken from hospitalized patients with mild or moderate symptoms every early morning. At the time of RT-PCR diagnosis, two methods for the extraction and partial purification of RNA from the specimen were performed: a commonly used Boom (Qiagen) method and our original sugar chain-immobilized gold nanoparticle (SGNP) method. For symptoms, body temperature and oxygen saturation (SpO2) of patients were monitored every 4 h. Conclusions: It was clear that patients infected with the Delta variant needed more time to recover than those with the Omicron variant, and that the SGNP method showed more realistic correlation with the symptoms of patients compared with the common Qiagen method.
