Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Dec 6;10(23):5712.
doi: 10.3390/jcm10235712.

Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Therapeutic Value of Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) in COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review

Angela Ishak  1 , Mousa M AlRawashdeh  1 , Stepan M Esagian  2 , Ilias P Nikas  1
Affiliations
Review

Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Therapeutic Value of Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) in COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review

Angela Ishak et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen causing the global pandemic of COVID-19, is essential for disease surveillance and control. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) is considered the reference standard test for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 by the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, its limitations are a prompt for a more accurate assay to detect SARS-CoV-2, quantify its levels, and assess the prognosis. This article aimed to systematically review the literature and assess the diagnostic performance of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), also to evaluate its potential role in prognosis and management of COVID-19 patients. PubMed and Scopus databases were searched to identify relevant articles published until 13 July 2021. An additional PubMed search was performed on 21 October 2021. Data from the 39 eligible studies were extracted and an overall 3651 samples from 2825 patients and 145 controls were used for our qualitative analysis. Most studies reported ddPCR was more accurate than RT-qPCR in detecting and quantifying SARS-CoV-2 levels, especially in patients with low viral loads. ddPCR was also found highly effective in quantifying SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia levels in hospitalized patients, monitoring their disease course, and predicting their response to therapy. These findings suggest ddPCR could serve as a complement or alternative SARS-CoV-2 tool with emerging diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic value, especially in hospital settings. Additional research is still needed to standardize its laboratory protocols, also to accurately assess its role in monitoring COVID-19 therapy response and in identifying SARS-CoV-2 emerging variants.

Keywords: COVID-19 testing; SARS-CoV-2; clinical; evidence-based medicine; molecular diagnostic techniques; pathology; prognosis; public health; quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR); survival analysis; therapeutics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flowchart for study screening and selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic value of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) in COVID-19 patients.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Mahase E. COVID-19: WHO Declares Pandemic Because of “Alarming Levels” of Spread, Severity, and Inaction. BMJ. 2020;368:m1036. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m1036. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Petersen E., Koopmans M., Go U., Hamer D.H., Petrosillo N., Castelli F., Storgaard M., Al Khalili S., Simonsen L. Comparing SARS-CoV-2 with SARS-CoV and Influenza Pandemics. Lancet Infect. Dis. 2020;20:e238–e244. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30484-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Graeden E., Carlson C., Katz R. Answering the Right Questions for Policymakers on COVID-19. Lancet Glob. Health. 2020;8:e768–e769. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30191-1. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pan Y., Zhang D., Yang P., Poon L.L.M., Wang Q. Viral Load of SARS-CoV-2 in Clinical Samples. Lancet Infect. Dis. 2020;20:411–412. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30113-4. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fajnzylber J., Regan J., Coxen K., Corry H., Wong C., Rosenthal A., Worrall D., Giguel F., Piechocka-Trocha A., Atyeo C., et al. SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load Is Associated with Increased Disease Severity and Mortality. Nat. Commun. 2020;11:5493. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-19057-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources