EVALUATION OF OPTIMAL SWAB TYPES, TRANSPORT MEDIA, AND TRANSPORT CONDITIONS DETECTING CORONA VIRUSES AND OTHERS BY PCR

Introduction: Different viral infections such as the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and influenza A (H1N1) are endemic in Saudi Arabia. It is critical to transport these viral etiologies in appropriate media so that the optimal amount of nucleic acid could be extracted for detection during an outbreak. The present aims to evaluate the optimal types of swab, transport media, and transport condition to detect viruses by PCR in Saudi Arabia. Methodology: This study carried out a comprehensive evaluation of swabs with or without transport media optimal for the detection of five viral etiologies (MERS-CoV, H1N1, adenovirus, herpes virus, and enterovirus) at 4°C, room temperature (RT), and 37°C. Results: The results showed that PCR products were optimal when the samples were transported without any transport medium at 4°C. Linear regression analysis revealed that the Ct values were almost identical for dry swabs maintained at 4°C. Universal Transport Medium (UTM) showed better Ct values at 4°C and RT when the two popular viral transport media (VTM) were compared for H1N1 and MERS-CoV. However, UTM showed better Ct value at 4°C; while, VTM showed better results at RT in the case of the enterovirus. Similarly, UTM was ideal at 4°C and VTM was ideal at RT for the herpes virus. Conclusions: The findings of this study may help the healthcare industry in planning and tackling further outbreaks in an efficient manner. Key words: Optimal swab; transport media; transport condition; polymerase chain reaction (PCR