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Comparative Study
. 2020 Jun;25(24):2001057.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.24.2001057.

Multicentre comparison of quantitative PCR-based assays to detect SARS-CoV-2, Germany, March 2020

Maximilian Muenchhoff  1   2 , Helga Mairhofer  1   2 , Hans Nitschko  1   2 , Natascha Grzimek-Koschewa  1   2 , Dieter Hoffmann  2   3 , Annemarie Berger  2   4 , Holger Rabenau  2   4 , Marek Widera  2   4 , Nikolaus Ackermann  5 , Regina Konrad  5 , Sabine Zange  2   6 , Alexander Graf  7 , Stefan Krebs  7 , Helmut Blum  7 , Andreas Sing  5 , Bernhard Liebl  5 , Roman Wölfel  2   6 , Sandra Ciesek  2   4 , Christian Drosten  2   8 , Ulrike Protzer  2   3 , Stephan Boehm  1   2 , Oliver T Keppler  1   2
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Multicentre comparison of quantitative PCR-based assays to detect SARS-CoV-2, Germany, March 2020

Maximilian Muenchhoff et al. Euro Surveill. 2020 Jun.

Abstract

Containment strategies and clinical management of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients during the current pandemic depend on reliable diagnostic PCR assays for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Here, we compare 11 different RT-PCR test systems used in seven diagnostic laboratories in Germany in March 2020. While most assays performed well, we identified detection problems in a commonly used assay that may have resulted in false-negative test results during the first weeks of the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; PCR; SARS-CoV-2; diagnostic test.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Digital droplet PCR quantification of the distributed dilution series of nucleic acid eluate of SARS-CoV-2-positive clinical material, Germany, March 2020
Figure 2
Figure 2
Dilution series comparing various RT-PCR assays for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 at different laboratories, Germany, March 2020 (n =11 test systems with 34 reaction–lab combinations)
Figure 3
Figure 3
RT-PCR results of respiratory samples with low positivity, SARS-CoV-2 detection, Germany, March 2020 (n = 28 samples)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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