Table. Comparison of two different one-step real-time RT-PCR systems with SARS-CoV-2 assays from Corman et al. [5] and a commercial test kit with kit-specific assays, Bavaria, February 2020 .

Real-time RT-PCR system	PCR efficiency (%)a, linearity (R2)	Limit of detection (copies/reaction)	Unspecific signals count in E gene assay in totalb	Unspecific signals in E gene assay (%)b	Run time (hours)
QuantiTect Virus +Rox Vial kit (QIAGEN)	ND	ND	451/743 (75/126 NC, 376/617 patient samples)	60.7	1:50
SuperScript III One-step RT-PCR System with Platinum TaqDNA Polymerase (Invitrogen)	95 / 0,99c	50c	13/257 (2/38 NC, 11/219 patient samples)	5.1	1:28
RealStar SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR kit 1.0 (Altona)	125 / 0,97d	10d	0/111 (0/38 NC, 0/73 patients samples)	0	2:15

NC: negative control samples; ND: not determined.

^a E = 10^−1/slope − 1.

^b Indicated counts and percentage values of unspecific background signals in the SARS-CoV E gene assay are based on the total number of tested patient samples as well as the negative extraction and non-template controls.

^c Only for RdRp gene assays, tested with four replicates of SARS-CoV Frankfurt 1 RNA [6]; 10-fold serial dilutions were determined. For the E gene, the assay was not linear.

^d Only for the E gene, tested with two replicates of synthetic Wuhan coronavirus 2019 E gene control and SARS-CoV Frankfurt 1 RNA each [6]; 10-fold serial dilutions were determined.