In:
Nature Communications, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, Vol. 13, No. 1 ( 2022-06-25)
Kurzfassung:
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 6 copies/ml and 〉 10 3 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.
Materialart:
Online-Ressource
ISSN:
2041-1723
DOI:
10.1038/s41467-022-30664-2
Sprache:
Englisch
Verlag:
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publikationsdatum:
2022
ZDB Id:
2553671-0
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