Development of Rapid Viability RT-PCR (RV-RT-PCR) Method for Detection of Infectious SARS-CoV-2
Citation:
Shah, S., S. Kane, M. Elsheikh, AND T. Alfaro. Development of Rapid Viability RT-PCR (RV-RT-PCR) Method for Detection of Infectious SARS-CoV-2. 2021 EPA International Decontamination Research and Development Conference, NA, DC, November 01 - 05, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EPA-ORD’s Homeland Security Research Program expanded their research horizons to respond to this public health emergency. Surface contamination, stability of the COVID-19 causing virus (SARS-CoV-2) on different surfaces, and potential indirect transmission of the virus via surfaces have been reported by many researchers. However, surface transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is still not well understood, and its overall importance in viral spread is mostly unknown. A rapid analytical method for detection of infectious (live) SARS-CoV-2 in environmental surface samples (e.g., swabs) is needed to better understand the surface transmission of this virus and to support environmental epidemiological investigations. To address this need, a proof-of-concept Rapid Viability-Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RV-RTPCR) method was developed. The RV-RTPCR method will allow detection of infectious SARS-CoV-2 in environmental surfaces and any other sample types within hours, rather than several days taken by current cell-culture-based methods. The ability to rapidly detect infectious SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples will be valuable for epidemiology investigations and environmental surveillance in healthcare facilities, within a facility (e.g., prison, nursing home), between facilities, and within a community. Also, the RV-RT-PCR method developed to detect infectious SARS-CoV-2 in this effort could serve as a model for the development of rapid and high-throughput analytical methods for other viruses of concern including public health and bioterrorism threats. This presentation describes the method development work
Description:
A rapid analytical method for detection of infectious (live) SARS-CoV-2 in environmental surface samples (e.g., swabs) was needed to better understand the surface transmission of this virus and to support environmental epidemiological investigations. To address this need, a proof-of-concept Rapid Viability - Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RV-RTPCR) method was developed. This presentation describes successful method development research and the results that the RV-RTPCR method can afford detection of a low number of infectious SARS-CoV-2 virions in environmental surfaces and any other sample types within hours, rather than several days taken by current cell-culture-based methods.