Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Nat Commun. 2022 Jun 25;13(1):3640. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-30664-2.
Systematic SARS-CoV-2 testing is a valuable tool for infection control and surveillance. However, broad application of high sensitive RT-qPCR testing in children is often hampered due to unpleasant sample collection, limited RT-qPCR capacities and high costs. Here, we developed a high-throughput approach ('Lolli-Method') for SARS-CoV-2 detection in children, combining non-invasive sample collection with an RT-qPCR-pool testing strategy. SARS-CoV-2 infections were diagnosed with sensitivities of 100% and 93.9% when viral loads were >10 copies/ml and >10 copies/ml in corresponding Naso-/Oropharyngeal-swabs, respectively. For effective application of the Lolli-Method in schools and daycare facilities, SEIR-modeling indicated a preferred frequency of two tests per week. The developed test strategy was implemented in 3,700 schools and 698 daycare facilities in Germany, screening over 800,000 individuals twice per week. In a period of 3 months, 6,364 pool-RT-qPCRs tested positive (0.64%), ranging from 0.05% to 2.61% per week. Notably, infections correlated with local SARS-CoV-2 incidences and with a school social deprivation index. Moreover, in comparison with the alpha variant, statistical modeling revealed a 36.8% increase for multiple (≥2 children) infections per class following infections with the delta variant. We conclude that the Lolli-Method is a powerful tool for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance and can support infection control in schools and daycare facilities.
系统的 SARS-CoV-2 检测是感染控制和监测的有价值的工具。然而，由于采样不适、有限的 RT-qPCR 能力和高成本，广泛应用于儿童的高灵敏度 RT-qPCR 检测常常受到阻碍。在这里，我们开发了一种高通量的方法（“Lolli 方法”），用于儿童的 SARS-CoV-2 检测，将非侵入性采样与 RT-qPCR 池测试策略相结合。当病毒载量分别大于 10 拷贝/ml 和 10 拷贝/ml 时，SARS-CoV-2 感染的诊断灵敏度分别为 100%和 93.9%。对于在学校和日托设施中有效应用 Lolli 方法，SEIR 模型表明，每两周进行两次测试是首选的频率。在德国，该测试策略在 3700 所学校和 698 所日托设施中实施，每周对 80 多万人进行两次检测。在 3 个月的时间里，6364 个池 RT-qPCR 检测呈阳性（0.64%），每周从 0.05%到 2.61%不等。值得注意的是，感染与当地 SARS-CoV-2 发病率和学校社会贫困指数相关。此外，与阿尔法变体相比，统计建模表明，在 delta 变体感染后，每个班级的多重（≥2 名儿童）感染增加了 36.8%。我们得出结论，Lolli 方法是 SARS-CoV-2 监测的有力工具，可以支持学校和日托设施的感染控制。
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