Laboratory Technician Firmalab Los Angeles, California, United States
Abstract Text: SARS CoV-2 is a disease that was first identified in late 2019 and is caused by a novel coronavirus. The virus is rapidly spread from person to person through contact with sputum particles, even when the infected individual is asymptomatic. Testing for the disease relies heavily on PCR molecular assays or at home antigen kits. COVID-19 rapid antigen kits can determine the presence of SARS CoV-2 using a lateral flow assay that targets the nucleocapsid protein of the virus for a qualitative result. The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of a rapid antigen kit by analyzing 105 rapid antigen results and comparing them with Quant Studio 12 PCR cycle threshold values. The results indicate that the lateral flow assay can detect SARS CoV-2 in samples that have a cycle threshold of 28.92 out of 40 cycles. Relative to other at home antigen kits, the findings in this study imply that this kit is especially sensitive and able to detect low levels of viral load within patients.
