Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron on Rapid Antigen Testing Developed for Early-Pandemic SARS-CoV-2 Variants
Karoline Leuzinger, Tim Roloff, Adrian Egli, Hans H. Hirsch
Abstract
Antigen tests are widely used for rapid identification of SCoV2-positive cases and their increased risk of transmission. At present, there are several FDA- and CE-cleared tests available in North America and Europe. However, their diagnostic performance has been evaluated with early-pandemic variants. This study provides evidence that variation within the nucleocapsid protein as seen in recently emerged and now globally spreading Omicron BA.2 and BA.5 variants significantly impairs detection rates of widely used antigen tests. Consequently, antigen tests need to be reevaluated when new pandemic SCoV2 variants emerge and start to predominate globally.
Topics & Concepts
AntigenSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)VirologyCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Point-of-care testingPandemicMedicineImmunologyPathologyDiseaseInfectious disease (medical specialty)SARS-CoV-2 detection and testingSARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchBiosensors and Analytical Detection