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Combining Rapid PCR and Antibody Tests Improved COVID-19 Diagnosis

Educational Objective
To identify the key insights or developments described in this article
1 Credit CME

Nose and throat swab polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing can miss up to 50% of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, in part because the virus may have already cleared the upper respiratory tract. But by then, patients may have developed antibodies against the virus. An approach that combines rapid PCR and antibody testing could help physicians quickly diagnose more cases, a recent small study of hospitalized patients with suspected COVID-19 suggested.

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CME Disclosure Statement: Unless noted, all individuals in control of content reported no relevant financial relationships. If applicable, all relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

Nose and throat swab polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing can miss up to 50% of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, in part because the virus may have already cleared the upper respiratory tract. But by then, patients may have developed antibodies against the virus. An approach that combines rapid PCR and antibody testing could help physicians quickly diagnose more cases, a recent small study of hospitalized patients with suspected COVID-19 suggested.

A University of Cambridge–led team analyzed previously collected data from the COVIDx Study, in which they clinically validated a simple amplification-based assay known as SAMBA II, a rapid PCR test to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Developed by a Cambridge spinoff company with partial US National Institutes of Health funding, the point-of-care (POC) test is now in routine clinical use in the UK.

AMA CME Accreditation Information

Credit Designation Statement: The American Medical Association designates this Journal-based CME activity activity for a maximum of 1.00  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to:

  • 1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;;
  • 1.00 Self-Assessment points in the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery’s (ABOHNS) Continuing Certification program;
  • 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;
  • 1.00 Lifelong Learning points in the American Board of Pathology’s (ABPath) Continuing Certification program; and
  • 1.00 credit toward the CME [and Self-Assessment requirements] of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program

It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit.

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