Batch testing for SARS-CoV-2
Frequent and accurate RT-PCR–based testing is essential for preventing and managing SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, active infection surveillance is still often limited by time or resources. Cleary
et al. demonstrate that considering population-level viral prevalence and individual viral loads allows for efficiency gains upon pooled testing with minimal loss of sensitivity, both theoretically and as validated in vitro using human swab and sputum samples. Barak
et al. show that pooled testing of 133,816 hospital-collected patient nasopharyngeal samples eliminated three quarters of testing reactions with only a minor reduction in sensitivity, demonstrating the efficacy of the approach in the field. Both studies suggest that considered pooling of individual samples before testing could reliably increase SARS-CoV-2 testing throughput.
Hebrew-university
Yerushalayim
Israel
Jerusalem
Israel-general
Arbel
Ha-afon
Yutti-daitch
Irit-fogel
Gil-benedek
Danag-wolf
Roni-ben