Validation of a One-Step Reverse Transcription-Droplet Digital PCR (RT-ddPCR) Approach to Detect and Quantify SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Nasopharyngeal Swabs

<div>Agreement between RT-qPCR and RT-ddPCR in SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection. (a) Bland-Altman plots representing the agreement between RT-qPCR and RT-ddPCR. Dotted lines represent the upper limit of 95% agreement, the bias, and the lower limit of 95% agreement. (b) Boxplot showing <svg height="13.2136pt" id="M22" style="vertical-align:-3.97745pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -9.23615 25.5574 13.2136" width="25.5574pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M238 0V26C174 32 166 38 166 104V712C132 700 70 683 18 677V653C81 647 87 645 87 577V104C87 38 78 32 15 26V0H238Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,3.289,0)"><path d="M257 449C165 449 37 374 37 209C37 98 119 -12 256 -12C355 -12 473 65 473 226C473 349 381 449 257 449ZM244 416C333 416 380 320 380 204C380 67 329 21 267 21C184 21 130 115 130 241C130 354 184 416 244 416Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,9.919,0)"><path d="M463 437C426 431 375 425 327 422C297 440 264 449 231 449H230C153 449 51 396 51 283C51 215 94 168 139 149C123 129 91 103 51 88C50 78 53 60 62 46C75 25 100 2 136 -9C112 -28 73 -59 53 -79C38 -94 29 -113 29 -135C30 -192 91 -257 203 -257C336 -257 452 -160 452 -59C452 39 371 59 309 59C275 59 240 58 203 58C158 58 140 77 140 96C140 110 157 129 170 138C186 135 205 133 221 133C306 133 396 185 396 293C396 328 384 360 366 381L423 378C439 387 459 413 468 429L463 437ZM219 418C277 418 314 362 314 284C314 205 275 166 231 165C176 165 137 221 137 299C137 376 177 418 219 418ZM241 -11C285 -11 314 -14 339 -24C367 -36 384 -61 384 -95C384 -157 335 -206 240 -206C166 -206 108 -165 108 -110C108 -82 128 -54 154 -32C172 -17 195 -11 241 -11Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,16.063,3.818)"><path d="M389 0V32C297 38 291 46 291 118V635C234 613 175 595 109 583V556L161 554C203 552 207 547 207 497V118C207 46 201 38 110 32V0H389Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,20.495,3.818)"><path d="M245 635C92 635 37 457 37 312C37 149 91 -12 244 -12C395 -12 449 166 449 312C449 469 395 635 245 635ZM243 598C332 598 358 454 358 312C358 173 334 26 245 26C158 26 128 174 128 313S152 598 243 598Z"></path></g></svg> of copies of SARS-CoV-2 RNA evaluated with both RT-qPCR and RT-ddPCR. <svg height="11.7782pt" id="M23" style="vertical-align:-3.42938pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.34882 44.5261 11.7782" width="44.5261pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M570 304C570 398 525 448 414 448C385 448 343 445 312 434L329 511L321 518C297 504 262 482 244 460L233 411C195 397 159 381 128 358L135 332C160 347 189 360 224 373L111 -147C97 -210 84 -218 17 -231L13 -257L254 -247L259 -218L233 -216C183 -212 177 -202 189 -142L218 -1C238 -10 266 -12 283 -12C351 3 429 48 483 105C543 168 570 242 570 304ZM482 289C482 161 380 33 304 33C278 33 248 51 233 69L303 396C326 400 352 403 369 403C428 403 482 380 482 289Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,11.342,0)"><path d="M512 230V281L75 514V456L453 256V254L75 55V-3L512 230Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,22.605,0)"><path d="M241 635C89 635 35 457 35 312C35 153 89 -12 240 -12C390 -12 443 166 443 312C443 466 390 635 241 635ZM238 602C329 602 354 454 354 312C354 172 330 22 240 22C152 22 124 173 124 313S148 602 238 602Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,28.845,0)"><path d="M113 -12C146 -12 170 11 170 46C170 78 146 103 114 103S58 78 58 46C58 11 82 -12 113 -12Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,31.809,0)"><path d="M241 635C89 635 35 457 35 312C35 153 89 -12 240 -12C390 -12 443 166 443 312C443 466 390 635 241 635ZM238 602C329 602 354 454 354 312C354 172 330 22 240 22C152 22 124 173 124 313S148 602 238 602Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,38.049,0)"><path d="M153 550H386L412 615L406 623H120L82 318C104 327 142 338 184 338C294 338 347 275 347 187C347 112 305 39 221 39C160 39 119 71 97 89C88 97 80 96 71 90C59 80 50 67 49 57C48 45 52 36 66 23C80 9 123 -12 169 -12C221 -11 288 15 342 59C403 109 431 165 431 225C431 308 366 395 238 395C212 395 165 379 127 364L153 550Z"></path></g></svg> (ns) by Mann–Whitney <svg height="8.8423pt" id="M24" style="vertical-align:-0.2064009pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.6359 9.58606 8.8423" width="9.58606pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M715 650H476L470 622C550 619 562 610 562 570C562 536 553 481 535 384L523 321C485 121 408 37 283 37C178 37 99 109 134 297L178 532C193 612 199 616 278 622L284 650H29L23 622C105 616 109 609 94 532L48 291C23 160 51 83 98 40C143 -1 202 -16 260 -16C321 -16 387 3 439 49C509 111 542 204 563 312L577 384C595 479 608 533 619 569C629 603 637 620 709 622L715 650Z"></path></g></svg> test.</div>

Disease Markers

fig1

Figure 1

Figure 1: Validation of a One-Step Reverse Transcription-Droplet Digital PCR (RT-ddPCR) Approach to Detect and Quantify SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Nasopharyngeal Swabs 

Figure 1 | Validation of a One-Step Reverse Transcription-Droplet Digital PCR (RT-ddPCR) Approach to Detect and Quantify SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Nasopharyngeal Swabs 