Department of Virology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, 160012, India.
Curr Microbiol. 2022 Nov 9;79(12):396. doi: 10.1007/s00284-022-03079-x.
Shipment of COVID-19 specimens within the country or overseas at long distances requires cold chain facility using dry ice and triple packing to prevent the risk of COVID-19 infection to the personnel involved in sample transport. The present study aimed to utilize FTA card technology as an alternate means of sample transport and storage across the country. Twenty-one SARS-CoV-2 lab confirmed samples with different Ct value (High, medium & low) were used to detect viral load in samples loaded on FTA card and further compared with VTM samples. The SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by rRT-PCR after storing for 14 days at 4 °C and 37 °C. The present study evaluated the utility of FTA cards for preserving the SARS CoV-2 RNA for 14-day period. A significant difference (P < 0.05) was observed in the cycle threshold (ΔCt 4-5) values obtained from FTA and VTM viral samples but it did not affect the positivity. The SARS-CoV-2 RNA could be recovered efficiently from FTA sample stored at 4 °C and 37 °C for 14 days. Thus, FTA cards could be an alternate option for transporting the samples at ambient temperature for a long time.
在国内或海外长距离运输 COVID-19 标本需要使用干冰和三重包装的冷链设施，以防止参与样本运输的人员感染 COVID-19 的风险。本研究旨在利用 FTA 卡技术作为全国范围内样本运输和储存的替代手段。使用 21 个 SARS-CoV-2 实验室确诊样本，Ct 值（高、中、低）不同，检测加载在 FTA 卡上的样本中的病毒载量，并与 VTM 样本进行比较。将 SARS-CoV-2 RNA 在 4°C 和 37°C 下储存 14 天后，通过 rRT-PCR 进行检测。本研究评估了 FTA 卡在 14 天内保存 SARS CoV-2 RNA 的实用性。从 FTA 和 VTM 病毒样本中获得的循环阈值（ΔCt 4-5）值存在显著差异（P<0.05），但不影响阳性率。从 4°C 和 37°C 储存 14 天的 FTA 样本中可以有效地回收 SARS-CoV-2 RNA。因此，FTA 卡可以作为在环境温度下长时间运输样本的替代选择。
