RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article T1 Performance evaluation of Biofire Film Array Respiratory Panel 2.1 for SARS-CoV-2 detection in a pediatric hospital setting A1 Mesquita Ramírez, Mirta A1 Zárate, Mirian Noemí A1 Rodríguez, Leonidas Adelaida A1 Aquino Quintana, Víctor Hugo A2 Salud y Nutrición - Paraguay SRL AB The highly contagious nature of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), requires rapid diagnostic tests to prevent the virus from spreading within hospitals and communities. Reverse transcription followed by the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test is the gold standard for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infections but is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and restricted to centralized laboratories. There is a growing need to develop and implement point-of-care and rapid tests for SARS-CoV-2 detection to address these limitations. We aimed to evaluate the performance of BioFire Film Array Respiratory Panel 2.1 (BioFire FA-RP2.1) for SARS-CoV-2 detection in a pediatric hospital setting. The BioFire FA-RP2.1 test provides rapid results and can identify several viral and bacterial infections in a single test. This prospective, cross-sectional, diagnostic accuracy study enrolled participants ranging from 0 to 18 years of age, seeking medical consultation for any reason, who had been in contact with individuals confirmed to have COVID-19 or managed at the hospital for medical or surgical reasons. We employed a systematic sampling technique to ensure a representative sample. The study included 339 participants with a median age of 5 years. The BioFire FA-RP2.1 test detected SARS-CoV-2 in 18.6% of cases, while the reference RT-PCR test in 14% of cases. The BioFire FA-RP2.1 sensitivity and specificity for SARS CoV-2 detection were 98% and 94%, respectively. The positive probability coefficient (LR+) was 18. The agreement between the two tests was 0.80. In addition, the BioFire FA-RP2.1 test detected coinfection with two viruses in 7,6% of cases. The BioFire FA-RP2.1 is a reliable solution to meet pediatric healthcare needs and improve prognosis in the post-pandemic era thanks to its friendly interface and rapid testing process. PB Public Library of Science YR 2023 FD 2023-10-05 LK http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14066/4366 UL http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14066/4366 LA eng NO Ramirez MM, Zarate MN, Rodriguez LA, Aquino VH (2023) Performance evaluation of Biofire Film Array Respiratory Panel 2.1 for SARSCoV-2 detection in a pediatric hospital setting. PLoS ONE 18(10): e0292314. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0292314 NO Autor de correspondencia: vhaquino@iics.una.py NO Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología DS MINDS@UW RD 10-jul-2024