Tübingen model study: large-scale introduction of rapid antigen testing in the population and the viral dynamics of SARS-CoV-2

Frontiers in Public Health

Public Health

Florian Battke¹  Gisela Schneider²  Lisa Federle³  Peter Martus⁴  Srinivas Reddy Pallerla⁵  Carsten Köhler⁵  Jule Ayran⁵  Peter G. Kremsner⁶  Le Thi Kieu Linh⁷  Thirumalaisamy P. Velavan⁸ 

[1] Center for Genomics and Transcriptomics (CeGaT) GmbH, Tübingen, Germany;DIFAEM – German Institute for Medical Mission, Tübingen, Germany;German Red Cross, Regional Centre Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany;Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Applied Biometry, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany;Institute of Tropical Medicine, Travel Medicine and Human Parasitology, Competence Centre for Tropical Medicine Baden-Württemberg, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany;Institute of Tropical Medicine, Travel Medicine and Human Parasitology, Competence Centre for Tropical Medicine Baden-Württemberg, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany;Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), Lambarene, Gabon;Institute of Tropical Medicine, Travel Medicine and Human Parasitology, Competence Centre for Tropical Medicine Baden-Württemberg, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany;Vietnamese-German Center for Medical Research, VG-CARE, Hanoi, Vietnam;Institute of Tropical Medicine, Travel Medicine and Human Parasitology, Competence Centre for Tropical Medicine Baden-Württemberg, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany;Vietnamese-German Center for Medical Research, VG-CARE, Hanoi, Vietnam;Faculty of Medicine, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam;

关键词: rapid diagnostic tests;    SARS-CoV-2;    COVID-19;    transmission;    Tübingen model;    B.1.1.7 lineage;    variant of concern;    epidemiology;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2023.1159622

 received in 2023-02-06, accepted in 2023-10-06,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Despite of contact restrictions, population mobility remains the main reason for the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The state of Baden-Württemberg (BW), Germany, approved a model study in Tübingen (TÜMOD) to evaluate how mandatory rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) could reduce transmission. Between 16 March and 24 April 2021, approximately 165,000 residents and visitors to the city were screened for SARS CoV-2 infection using Abbott Panbio™ COVID-19 Antigen rapid test device. We assessed incidences and recorded epidemiological characteristics in a subset of 4,118 participants recruited at three of the nine testing stations. PCR tests were performed in RDT-positives to determine the positive predictive value (PPV), and circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2 were identified by whole-genome sequencing. 2,282 RDT-negative samples were tested by pooled PCR to calculate the false negative rate (FNR). Viral load was compared between variants. 116 (3%) participants were positive by RDT, and of these, 57 (49%) were positive by PCR, 55 (47%) were negative. This resulted in a PPV of 51%. Of the 57 positives, 52 SARS-CoV-2 genomes were successfully sequenced. Of these, 50 belonged to the B.1.1.7 lineage, which had a high viral load (average Ct = 19). Of the 2,282 RDT negatives tested, all were PCR negative (FNR 0%). At the end of TÜMOD, the incidence in Tübingen, which was initially lower, had reached the incidence in the state of BW. While it is difficult to assess the impact of TÜMOD on incidence independent of confounding factors, further studies are needed to identify the effect of close-meshed testing on infection rates.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Ayran, Köhler, Linh, Schneider, Pallerla, Battke, Federle, Martus, Kremsner and Velavan.