Volume 27, Number 2—February 2021
Dispatch
Strand-Specific Reverse Transcription PCR for Detection of Replicating SARS-CoV-2
Catherine A. Hogan, ChunHong Huang, Malaya K. Sahoo, Hannah Wang, Becky Jiang, Mamdouh Sibai, Marisa Holubar, Roshni Mathew, James Zehnder, and Benjamin A. Pinsky
Table 1
Characteristics of patients in study on strand-specific PCR for SARS-CoV-2, California, USA, 2020*
| Characteristic | Total | Minus strand detected |
Unadjusted p value† | Adjusted p value‡ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | ||||
| Total | 146 (100.0) | 41 (100.0) | 105 (100.0) | ||
| Median age, y (IQR) | 50 (36–63) | 61 (42–73) | 48 (35–58) | <0.01 | <0.01 |
| Sex | |||||
| F | 73 (50.0) | 21 (51.2) | 52 (49.5) | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| M | 73 (50.0) | 20 (48.8) | 53 (50.5) | ||
| Initial treatment location | |||||
| Emergency room | 100 (68.5) | 29 (70.7) | 71 (67.6) | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| Outpatient | 37 (25.3) | 9 (22.0) | 28 (26.7) | ||
| Inpatient | 9 (6.2) | 3 (7.3) | 6 (5.7) | ||
| Concurrent conditions | |||||
| Immunocompromised§ | |||||
| Yes | 26 (17.8) | 6 (14.6) | 20 (19.0) | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| No | 120 (82.2) | 35 (85.4) | 85 (81.0) | ||
| Obesity | |||||
| Yes | 45 (30.8) | 13 (31.7) | 32 (30.5) | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| No | 92 (63.0) | 27 (65.9) | 65 (61.9) | ||
| Unknown | 9 (6.2) | 1 (2.4) | 8 (7.6) | ||
| Diabetes mellitus | |||||
| Yes | 33 (22.6) | 13 (31.7) | 20 (19.0) | 0.06 | 0.3 |
| No | 112 (76.7) | 27 (65.9) | 85 (81.0) | ||
| Unknown | 1 (0.7) | 1 (2.4) | 0 | ||
| Hypertension | |||||
| Yes | 50 (34.2) | 14 (34.1) | 36 (34.3) | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| No | 95 (65.1) | 26 (63.4) | 69 (65.7) | ||
| Unknown | 1 (0.7) | 1 (2.4) | 0 | ||
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma | |||||
| Yes | 22 (15.1) | 8 (19.5) | 14 (13.3) | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| No | 123 (84.2) | 32 (78.0) | 91 (86.7) | ||
| Unknown | 1 (0.7) | 1 (2.4) | 0 | ||
| Median days after symptom onset (IQR)¶ | 9 (4–18) | 5.5 (4–11) | 12 (4–26) | <0.01 | <0.01 |
| Signs or symptoms at admission | |||||
| Fever | |||||
| Yes | 76 (52.1) | 22 (53.7) | 54 (51.4) | 1 | 0.6 |
| No | 66 (45.2) | 18 (43.9) | 48 (45.7) | ||
| Unknown | 4 (2.7) | 1 (2.4) | 3 (2.9) | ||
| Cough | |||||
| Yes | 93 (63.7) | 28 (68.3) | 65 (61.9) | 0.8 | 0.5 |
| No | 49 (33.6) | 12 (29.3) | 37 (35.2) | ||
| Unknown | 4 (2.7) | 1 (2.4) | 3 (2.9) | ||
| Headache | |||||
| Yes | 29 (19.9) | 8 (19.1) | 21 (20.0) | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| No | 110 (75.3) | 30 (73.2) | 80 (76.2) | ||
| Unknown | 7 (4.8) | 3 (7.3) | 4 (3.8) | ||
| Fatigue | |||||
| Yes | 40 (27.4) | 12 (29.3) | 28 (26.7) | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| No | 99 (67.8) | 26 (63.4) | 73 (69.5) | ||
| Unknown | 7 (4.8) | 3 (7.3) | 4 (3.8) | ||
| Gastrointestinal symptoms | |||||
| Yes | 42 (28.8) | 9 (22.0) | 33 (31.4) | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| No | 98 (67.1) | 30 (73.2) | 68 (64.8) | ||
| Unknown | 6 (4.1) | 2 (4.9) | 4 (3.8) | ||
| Lymphopenia | |||||
| Yes | 61 (41.8) | 23 (56.1) | 38 (36.2) | 0.09 | 0.5 |
| No | 57 (39.0) | 12 (29.3) | 45 (42.9) | ||
| Unknown | 28 (19.2) | 6 (14.6) | 22 (21.0) | ||
| Hospital admission | |||||
| Yes | 81 (55.5) | 24 (58.5) | 57 (54.3) | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| No | 65 (44.5) | 17 (41.5) | 48 (45.7) | ||
| Intensive care unit admission | |||||
| Yes | 30 (20.5) | 9 (22.0) | 21 (20.0) | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| No | 116 (79.5) | 32 (78.0) | 84 (80.0) | ||
| Mechanical ventilation during hospitalization | |||||
| Yes | 14 (9.6) | 5 (12.2) | 9 (8.6) | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| No | 132 (90.4) | 36 (87.8) | 96 (91.4) | ||
| 30-day all-cause death rate | |||||
| Yes | 7 (4.8) | 5 (12.2) | 2 (1.9) | 0.02 | 0.2 |
| No | 139 (95.2) | 36 (87.8) | 103 (98.1) | ||
| Sample type | |||||
| Nasopharyngeal | 134 (91.8) | 37 (90.2) | 97 (92.4) | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| Nasal | 5 (3.4) | 2 (4.9) | 3 (2.9) | ||
| Oropharyngeal | 7 (4.8) | 2 (4.9) | 5 (4.8) | ||
| Median nasopharyngeal cycle threshold value (IQR)# | 29.9 (22.9–35.8) | 20.8 (18.3–23.9) | 33.4 (28.1–36.4) | <0.01 | <0.01 |
*Values are no. (%) except as indicated. IQR, interquartile range; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. †p values determined by χ2 or Mann-Whitney U tests. ‡Adjusted for age, days after symptom onset, and cycle threshold value for standard SARS-CoV-2 PCR. §Immunocompromised status was defined as having an immuocompromising condition including hematologic or solid malignancy, history of stem cell or organ transplant, primary or secondary immunodeficiency, or drug-related immunocompromise. ¶19 values missing rrom patient medical records. #Cycle threshold value for standard SARS-CoV-2 PCR.
Page created: December 07, 2020
Page updated: January 24, 2021
Page reviewed: January 24, 2021
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