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A four specimen-pooling scheme reliably detects SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses using the BioFire FilmArray
Charlene Ranadheera1, Greg J German2,3, Laura Steven4
1Health Security and Response Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. Charlene.ranadheera@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
Scientific Reports
|March 24, 2022
Summary
Pooling patient specimens with the BioFire FilmArray Respiratory Panel 2.1 enhances testing capacity for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus detection. This method maintains high sensitivity and positive agreement, supporting its use in public health surveillance.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Molecular Diagnostics
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated increased diagnostic testing capacity for rapid identification and contact tracing of SARS-CoV-2.
- The BioFire FilmArray Respiratory Panel 2.1 offers sensitive and specific detection of 22 viral and bacterial pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses.
- A limitation of the FilmArray system is its low specimen throughput, hindering large-scale testing efforts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility of pooling patient specimens to increase testing capacity using the FilmArray Respiratory Panel 2.1.
- To assess the impact of specimen pooling on the detection and agreement rates for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses.
- To determine if pooling maintains diagnostic accuracy within acceptable limits for nucleic acid amplification tests.
Main Methods:
- Tested 33 pools of contrived nasal samples and 22 pools of clinical nasopharyngeal specimens.
- Utilized the BioFire FilmArray Respiratory Panel 2.1 for multiplex pathogen detection.
- Analyzed detection rates, positive agreement, and sensitivity of pooled versus individual specimens.
Main Results:
- Achieved 100% detection and 90% positive agreement for SARS-CoV-2 in pooled samples.
- Observed 98% detection and 95% positive agreement for influenza viruses in pooled samples.
- Identified minor sensitivity loss in pooled specimens, which remained within acceptable limits for nucleic acid amplification tests.
Conclusions:
- Specimen pooling, specifically a one-in-four pooling strategy, is a feasible method to increase testing throughput with the FilmArray Respiratory Panel 2.1.
- This pooling approach effectively maintains high detection and positive agreement for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses.
- The findings support the use of pooled testing to enhance diagnostic capacity for key respiratory pathogens during public health emergencies.
