Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 16, 2025
10:41
A Tuberculosis Molecular Bacterial Load Assay TB-MBLA
Published on: April 30, 2020
14.5K
Effects of a Serum Heating Procedure for Inactivating COVID-19 on Common Biochemical Tests
Clinical Laboratory
|February 22, 2021
Summary
Heating patient samples for COVID-19 testing can affect certain biochemical markers. Four key indicators (CK, CK-MB, ALP, insulin) are sensitive to heat, potentially impacting diagnostic accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Chemistry
- Virology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic necessitates rapid assessment of affected individuals.
- Heat treatment is a proposed method for specimen inactivation.
- Evaluating the impact of heat on biochemical markers is crucial for accurate COVID-19 diagnostics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the effect of serum heating on biochemical indexes.
- To provide a basis for accurate detection results in COVID-19 patients.
- To determine which biochemical markers are affected by heat inactivation.
Main Methods:
- Collected whole blood samples from 29 normal cases.
- Analyzed one set of samples directly.
- Analyzed a second set after heat treatment at 56°C for 30 minutes.
Main Results:
- 34 serum biochemical indexes were analyzed.
- 28 out of 34 indexes remained clinically interpretable after heating.
- Albumin, CysC, and CO2CP showed good correlation post-heating.
- Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatine kinase (CK), CK-MB, and insulin were significantly affected (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- CK, CK-MB, ALP, and insulin are sensitive to heat inactivation and may degrade.
- Observed decreases in these markers in COVID-19 patients could be due to sample heat treatment.
- Recommend point-of-care testing for specific analytes and high-level biosafety practices.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Serum Studies: Renal Function Tests
186
Renal function tests are crucial for assessing kidney health, monitoring disease progression, and evaluating the kidneys' efficiency in waste elimination, fluid balance, and electrolyte regulation. These tests offer critical insights into kidney function, even though routine measurements may appear normal until there is a significant decline in the glomerular filtration rate or GFR. Typically, signs of kidney impairment only become evident when the GFR falls to about 50% of its normal level.
186
01:23Physical Methods for Controlling Microbial Growth: Temperature
715
Heat is a widely used method to control microbial growth by targeting and denaturing cellular proteins, thereby killing or inactivating microbes. This method's effectiveness is quantified using parameters such as the thermal death point (TDP), thermal death time (TDT), and decimal reduction time (D value). TDP represents the lowest temperature at which all microorganisms in a liquid suspension are eliminated within 10 minutes, whereas TDT is the time necessary to achieve sterilization at a...
715
01:22Methods of reducing fever
974
The signs and symptoms of fever include hot and dry skin, flushed face, thirst, muscle aches, anorexia, headache, tachycardia, tachypnea, and fatigue. Elevated body temperature is reduced using two methods: pharmacological and nonpharmacological. Proper identification and treatment of the root cause of a fever is of utmost importance.
Pharmacological Methods of Reducing Fever:
Pharmacological Methods of Reducing Fever:
974