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Diagnostic accuracy of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza antigen test in Omicron age in hospital emergency department: real-life analysis during 2023
  1. Celia García-Rivera1,
  2. Isabel Escribano1,
  3. Maria Paz Ventero1,
  4. Iryna Tyshkovska1,
  5. Sandra López-Hurtado1,
  6. Alicia Doña1,
  7. Pere Llorens2,3,
  8. Esperanza Merino3,4,
  9. José Manuel Ramos3,5,
  10. José Sánchez-Payá6,
  11. Pilar Gallardo6,
  12. Raissa Silva-Afonso6,
  13. Juan Carlos Rodríguez1,3
  1. 1Microbiology Department, Dr. Balmis General University Hospital, Alicante Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL), Alicante, Spain
  2. 2Emergency Department, Dr. Balmis General University Hospital, Alicante Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL), Alicante, Valenciana, Spain
  3. 3Miguel Hernandez University, Alicante, Spain
  4. 4Unit of Infectious Diseases, Dr. Balmis General University Hospital, Alicante Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL), Alicante, Valenciana, Spain
  5. 5Internal Medicine Department, Dr. Balmis General University Hospital, Alicante Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL), Alicante, Spain
  6. 6Preventive Department, Dr. Balmis General University Hospital, Alicante Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL), Alicante, Valenciana, Spain
  1. Correspondence to Dr Maria Paz Ventero; maripazvm{at}gmail.com

https://doi.org/10.1136/emermed-2024-214160

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    The need to isolate patients with influenza and COVID-19 in emergency departments (ED) requires quick screening tests for these infections.1 Given mutations and newer variants of these diseases, vaccines and varying incidence, we assessed the diagnostic accuracy of two rapid screening tests in our ED in Spain during periods of higher and lower prevalence according to the Acute Respiratory Infection Surveillance System data.2

    A retrospective cross-sectional observational study was carried out in the Dr Balmis University General Hospital in Alicante, Spain. The sample size for the study was pragmatic and included all patients aged 15 years or older with symptoms compatible with acute respiratory infection who attended between 1 January 2023 and 30 October 2023 in the ED. This period was chosen for two reasons: The influenza season typically starts around October but the tested kits were not available until January 2023 which marked the start of the study. Additionally, the study concluded in October 2023 rather than in December to avoid including data from the new influenza season. In routine clinical practice, two samples were obtained (in ED) and processed (in the lab) simultaneously: One for detection of viral antigen (Panbio, Abbott); and the other for detection of the viral genome by PCR (cobas 6800, Roche or GeneXpert, Cepheid), the latter being the …

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    Footnotes

    • Handling editor Robert Hirst

    • X @LlorensPere

    • Contributors CG-R, IE, MPV, IT, SL-H and AD collected the raw data. CG-R and IE reviewed the test results in the Microbiology Service. MPV, IT, SL-H and AD processed the samples in the Microbiology Service. PL, EM and JMR managed the samples in the Emergency Service and the Infectious Diseases Unit. JS-P, RS-A and JCR analysed the raw data and performed the statistical analysis. PG contributed to the statistical analyses during the review stage. EM, JMR, PL, JS-P and JCR planned the study. All authors participated in the writing and revision of the manuscript.

    • Funding This study was financed by grant 2021-0452 from Alicante Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL) to MPV. MPV was supported with a PTA Grant (PTA2021-020215-I) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the ‘ESF Investing in your future’.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.