Shared Mutations in Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Circulating Variants May Lead to Reverse Transcription-PCR (RT-PCR)-Based Misidentification of B.1.351 and P.1 Variants of Concern

• DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00816-21
• Publication Date: 2021-10-13T17:00:24Z
• Authors: Carmen Losada; Carla Rico-Luna; Álvaro Otero-Sobrino; Andrea Molero-Sal...; Sergio Buenestado...; Ana Candela; Laura Pérez-Lago; Patricia Muñoz; Pilar Catalán; Darío García de V...
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; Whole Genome Sequencing; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; SARS-CoV-2; VOC; RT-PCR; COVID-19; Observation; Genome, Viral; Microbiology; reverse transcriptase PCR; QR1-502; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; whole-genome sequencing; COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus; Humans; Diagnostic Errors

Reverse transcription-PCRs (RT-PCRs) targeting SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern (VOC) mutations have been developed to simplify their tracking. We evaluated an assay E484K/N501Y identify B.1.351/P1. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) confirmed only 72 (59.02%) 122 consecutive RT-PCR P.1/B.1.351 candidates. Prescreening RT-PCRs must target a wider set mutations, updated from WGS data emerging variants.