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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. PinskyComments to Author 
Author affiliations: Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA (C.A. Hogan, C. Huang, M.K. Sahoo, H. Wang, M. Holubar, R. Mathew, J. Zehnder, B.A. Pinsky); Stanford Health Care, Stanford (C.A. Hogan, B. Jiang, M. Sibai, B.A. Pinsky)

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Table 2

Clinical characteristics of 7 patients with SARS-CoV-2 minus-strand RNA, California, USA, 2020*

Patient ID Age, y/sex Immuno-compromised Test order Cycle threshold value for standard rRT-PCR specific to SARS-CoV-2 Days after symptom onset Symptomatic improvement at time of strand-specific testing† Fever within 24 h of strand-specific testing Minus strand detected beyond CDC isolation recommendations‡
102
 75/M
 No
 1 33.5 Unclear Unclear§ No Unclear
2
 19.7
 Unclear
 Unclear§
 No
 Unclear
111
 58/M
 Yes
 1
 NA¶
 26
 No
 Yes
 No
117
 82/M
 No
 1
 18.5
 12
 Unclear§
 No
 Yes
118
 69/M
 No
 1
 20.8
 4
 No
 Yes
 No
127
 61/M
 No
 1
 34.5
 11
 Yes
 No
 Yes
129
 60/M
 Yes
 1 22.6 18 No Yes No
2
 20.2
 30
 No
 Yes
 No
141 2/F Yes 1 18.1 NA# NA# NA# NA#

*ID, identification; NA, not available; rRT-PCR, real-time reverse transcription PCR; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
†From symptom onset to time of testing.
‡According to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (14).
§Because of underlying condition.
¶Qualitative testing conducted at external reference laboratory.
#Data not available because patient was treated at external medical facility.

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Page created: December 07, 2020
Page updated: January 24, 2021
Page reviewed: January 24, 2021
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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