Table 1. Direct RT-qPCR on SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative NPFS specimens after heating at 65°C for 10 minutes with different RT-qPCR master mixes.
| Sample No. | SARS-CoV-2 CT | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard method | Quantifast Pathogen RT-PCR + IC Master Mix | PrimeDirect™ Probe RT-qPCR Mix | TaqPath™ 1-Step RT-qPCR Master Mix | |
| 1 | 21.5 | 29.4 | 24.6 | 22.8 |
| 2 | 34.5 | Undetermined | Undetermined | 35.3 |
| 3 | 24.5 | 30.4 | 28.7 | 25.5 |
| 4 | 22 | 29.9 | 31.4 | 25.8 |
| 5 | Undetermined | Undetermined | Undetermined | Undetermined |
NPFS specimens were either subjected to viral RNA extraction by standard method using the NucliSENS easyMAG automated extraction system (bioMerieux), or diluted 4-fold with NFW followed by incubation at 65°C for 5 minutes. All samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by standard RT-qPCR using different master mixes in duplicate and mean CT values were compared.