Rapid antigen test in diagnosis of SARS-COV-2 in a specialized care facility Urology and Nephrology center –Mansoura University

Omar, Basma A; Abou El-khier, Noha Tharwat; Mashaly, Mohamed E; Ghoneim, Moatasem Elsayed; Elhadedy, Muhammed; Megahed, Mohamed Osama; Altayyeb, Mohamed; Abdelhady, Aml; Raafat, Douaa; Wadie, Bassem S

doi:10.21608/mid.2023.186452.1449

Rapid antigen test in diagnosis of SARS-COV-2 in a specialized care facility Urology and Nephrology center –Mansoura University

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Microbiology specialist, Microbiology laboratory, Urology and Nephrology Centre, Mansoura University.

² Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University

³ Nephrology specialist, Nephrology department, Urology and Nephrology Center, Mansoura University

⁴ Nephrology specialist, Nephrology department, Urology and Nephrology Center, Mansoura University.

⁵ Nursing specialist, Infection control unit, Urology and Nephrology Center, Mansoura University.

⁶ Professor of Clinical pathology, Clinical pathology department, Mansoura University.

⁷ Professor of Urology, Director of Urology and Nephrology Center, Mansoura University.

10.21608/mid.2023.186452.1449

Abstract

Background: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the benchmark in diagnosing of corona virus disease. It takes at least 4 hours. Multiple studies reported that rapid antigen test could be used. Their role in diagnosing corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is questionable. This study was conducted to assess the accuracy of rapid antigen test in Urology and Nephrology Center Mansoura University, Egypt. Methods: COVID-19 rapid ag test was evaluated in comparison to real time PCR as a gold standard in diagnosis of COVID-19 infection in employees and patients with respiratory symptoms in specialized care facility Urology and Nephrology Center of Mansoura University from March2020 till August 2021. Complete blood picture and non-contrast computerized tomography (CT) was done. Results: Eight hundred and eighty-four (884) individuals (median age 36 years) were included in this study: 478 healthcare workers, 217 non-healthcare workers, and 189 patients. PCR was positive in 569 samples and negative in 315. Out of 315 negative PCR samples, 8 were positive by rapid antigen test with a specificity of 97.4%. Conclusion: Rapid antigen tests in comparison to PCR test have a good accuracy in diagnosis in of COVID-19 infection and can be used during pandemics in low-resource areas.

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