Analysis of seven SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen tests in detecting omicron (B.1.1.529) versus delta (B.1.617.2) using cell culture supernatants and clinical specimens.
Sabrina JungnickBernhard HobmaierNatali ParavinjaLena MautnerMona HoyosRegina KonradMaren HaaseArmin BaikerUte EberleMagdalena BichlerBianca TreisMercy OkeyoBarbara StreiblClara WimmerSabrina HepnerAnnika SprengerCarola BergerLaura WeiseAlexandra DangelSiegfried IppischWalter JonasManfred WildnerBernhard LieblNikolaus AckermannAndreas SingVolker Fingerlenull nullPublished in: Infection (2022)
In this study, RATs from various manufacturers were investigated, which displayed no obvious differences in terms of analytical LoD in vitro and RAT positivity rates based on clinical samples comparing the VOCs omicron and delta. However, differences between tests produced by various manufacturers were detected. In terms of clinical samples, a focus of this study was on specimens with high virus concentrations. Further systematic, clinical and laboratory studies utilizing large datasets are urgently needed to confirm reliable performance in terms of sensitivity and specificity for all individual RATs and SARS-CoV-2 variants.