Trends of Mismatches in Real-Time RT-PCR Assays Developed by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan for Omicron Variant of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2.
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Abstract
The Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in late 2021 and gradually overtook the Delta variant, which was the predominant variant at that time. The Omicron variant has been consecutively replaced by related sublineages. The real-time RT-PCR assays developed by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Japan (i.e., the NIID-N2 and NIID-S2 assays) are the reference assays that have been used in Japan since the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2. To evaluate the applicability of the NIID assays for the Omicron variants, trends in the prevalence of nucleotide mismatches in the primer/probe sequences were traced using sequences registered in the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data database. Approximately 99% of the deposited Omicron variant sequences did not have any mismatches in the NIID assay primer/probes from January to August 2022. This indicates that the NIID assays have been able to detect the changing SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants.
期刊介绍:
Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases (JJID), an official bimonthly publication of National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, publishes papers dealing with basic research on infectious diseases relevant to humans in the fields of bacteriology, virology, mycology, parasitology, medical entomology, vaccinology, and toxinology. Pathology, immunology, biochemistry, and blood safety related to microbial pathogens are among the fields covered. Sections include: original papers, short communications, epidemiological reports, methods, laboratory and epidemiology communications, letters to the editor, and reviews.