Sensitivity of ID NOW and RT-PCR for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in an ambulatory population

  1. Yuan-Po Tu
  2. Jameel Iqbal  Is a corresponding author
  3. Timothy O'Leary
  1. Everett Clinic, United States
  2. James J Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, United States
  3. Maryland School of Medicine, United States

Abstract

Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) requires confirmation by Reverse-Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Abbott ID NOW provides fast results but has been criticized for low sensitivity. Here we determine the sensitivity of ID NOW in an ambulatory population presenting for testing. The study enrolled 785 symptomatic patients, 21 of whom were positive by both ID NOW and RT-PCR, and 2 only by RT-PCR. All 189 asymptomatic patients tested negative. The positive percent agreement between the ID NOW assay and the RT-PCR assay was 91.3%, and negative percent agreement was 100%. The results from the current study were included into a larger systematic review of literature where at least 20 subjects were simultaneously tested using ID NOW and RT-PCR. The overall sensitivity for ID NOW assay was calculated at 84% (95% CI 55- 96%) and had the highest correlation to RT-PCR at viral loads most likely to be associated with transmissible infections.

Data availability

All data used for analysis has been included in the figures, tables and two appendices.

Article and author information

Author details

  1. Yuan-Po Tu

    Medicine, Everett Clinic, Lake Stevens, United States
    Competing interests
    No competing interests declared.
  2. Jameel Iqbal

    Pathology, James J Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, United States
    For correspondence
    Jameel.iqbal@va.gov
    Competing interests
    Jameel Iqbal, Reviewing editor, eLife.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-4598-5064
  3. Timothy O'Leary

    Pathology, Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
    Competing interests
    No competing interests declared.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-2435-9136

Funding

NIH Clinical Center (U19 AG60917)

  • Jameel Iqbal

NIH Clinical Center (R01 DK113627)

  • Jameel Iqbal

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.

Ethics

Human subjects: The human ethics review and IRB for these studies was approved by the United Health Group Office of Human Research Affairs (OHRA), Federal wide Assurance #: FWA00028881, OHRP Registration #: IORG0010356.

Copyright

This is an open-access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.

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  1. Yuan-Po Tu
  2. Jameel Iqbal
  3. Timothy O'Leary
(2021)
Sensitivity of ID NOW and RT-PCR for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in an ambulatory population
eLife 10:e65726.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65726

Share this article

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65726

Further reading

    1. Medicine
    2. Microbiology and Infectious Disease
    3. Epidemiology and Global Health
    4. Immunology and Inflammation
    Edited by Jos WM van der Meer et al.
    Collection

    eLife has published articles on a wide range of infectious diseases, including COVID-19, influenza, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, malaria and typhoid fever.

    1. Medicine
    2. Neuroscience
    Gansheng Tan, Anna L Huguenard ... Eric C Leuthardt
    Research Article

    Background:

    Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is characterized by intense central inflammation, leading to substantial post-hemorrhagic complications such as vasospasm and delayed cerebral ischemia. Given the anti-inflammatory effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) and its ability to promote brain plasticity, taVNS has emerged as a promising therapeutic option for SAH patients. However, the effects of taVNS on cardiovascular dynamics in critically ill patients, like those with SAH, have not yet been investigated. Given the association between cardiac complications and elevated risk of poor clinical outcomes after SAH, it is essential to characterize the cardiovascular effects of taVNS to ensure this approach is safe in this fragile population. Therefore, this study assessed the impact of both acute and repetitive taVNS on cardiovascular function.

    Methods:

    In this randomized clinical trial, 24 SAH patients were assigned to either a taVNS treatment or a sham treatment group. During their stay in the intensive care unit, we monitored patient electrocardiogram readings and vital signs. We compared long-term changes in heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), QT interval, and blood pressure between the two groups. Additionally, we assessed the effects of acute taVNS by comparing cardiovascular metrics before, during, and after the intervention. We also explored acute cardiovascular biomarkers in patients exhibiting clinical improvement.

    Results:

    We found that repetitive taVNS did not significantly alter heart rate, QT interval, blood pressure, or intracranial pressure (ICP). However, repetitive taVNS increased overall HRV and parasympathetic activity compared to the sham treatment. The increase in parasympathetic activity was most pronounced from 2 to 4 days after initial treatment (Cohen’s d = 0.50). Acutely, taVNS increased heart rate, blood pressure, and peripheral perfusion index without affecting the corrected QT interval, ICP, or HRV. The acute post-treatment elevation in heart rate was more pronounced in patients who experienced a decrease of more than one point in their modified Rankin Score at the time of discharge.

    Conclusions:

    Our study found that taVNS treatment did not induce adverse cardiovascular effects, such as bradycardia or QT prolongation, supporting its development as a safe immunomodulatory treatment approach for SAH patients. The observed acute increase in heart rate after taVNS treatment may serve as a biomarker for SAH patients who could derive greater benefit from this treatment.

    Funding:

    The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (ALH), The Aneurysm and AVM Foundation (ALH), The National Institutes of Health R01-EB026439, P41-EB018783, U24-NS109103, R21-NS128307 (ECL, PB), McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience (ECL, PB), and Fondazione Neurone (PB).

    Clinical trial number:

    NCT04557618.