TOPIC: General Studies 2
General Studies 3:
In News: Indian Council of Medical Research, ICMR has recommended the use of rapid antigen test kits for diagnosis of COVID-19 in containment zones and healthcare settings in combination with the RT-PCR test.
In India, the ICMR has allowed the use of antigen detection kits developed by the South Korean company S D Biosensor, which has a manufacturing unit in Manesar. The kit, commercially called Standard Q COVID-19 Ag detection kit, comes with a with an inbuilt Covid antigen test device, viral extraction tube with viral lysis buffer and sterile swab for sample collection.
Rapid Antigen Detection Test
How is rapid antigen detection test different from RT-PCR test?
RT-PCR is currently the gold standard frontline test for the diagnosis of Covid-19. Like RT-PCR, the rapid antigen detection test too seeks to detect the virus rather than the antibodies produced by the body. While the mechanism is different, the most significant difference between the two is time.
Where will the test be used?
The antigen test needs to be conducted at the site of sample collection in the healthcare setting. As of now, the kit will be used in containment zones or hotspots and healthcare settings. In both settings, the ICMR, has advised that the test will be performed onsite under strict medical supervision and maintaining the kit temperature between 2° and 30°C.
In containment zones, the test can be conducted on all symptomatic influenza-like illnesses. Asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts with co-morbidities (lung disease, heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, diabetes, neurological disorders, blood disorders) of a confirmed case are to be tested once between day 5 and day 10 of coming into contact.
In healthcare settings, it can be used in three categories.
Is the test a confirmatory one for diagnosis of Covid-19?
According to the ICMR guidelines, if the test shows a positive result, it should be considered as true positive, and does not need reconfirmation. However, those who test negative in the rapid antigen test should then be tested by RT-PCR to rule out infection.
Also, negative results from an antigen test may need to be confirmed with a PCR test prior to making treatment decisions or to prevent the possible spread of the virus due to a false negative.
Note:
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)
Rapid antibody – based test
Pooled sampling