Abstract:
Objective To develop a method for detection and absolute quantification of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants.
Methods Taking SARS-CoV-2 BF.7.14 as an example, specific primers and probes were designed for the conserved region of the mutation site of the strain to establish a reverse transcription droplet digital PCR (RT-ddPCR) method. Its specificity, sensitivity, and applicability were evaluated.
Results The optimal conditions were: primer concentration, 900 nmol/L; probe concentration, 250 nmol/L; and annealing temperature, 52.5 ℃. By this method, the target SARS-CoV-2 variant could be accurately detected, and interference from other variants was reduced at the same time. The limit of detection for the SARS-CoV-2 variant using this method was 0.28 copies/μL. For 18 actual samples, both RT-ddPCR and RT-qPCR showed a detection rate of 100% (18/18), and the concentration range was 16-7 648 copies/mL with RT-ddPCR and 14-4 875 copies/mL with RT-qPCR.
Conclusion RT-ddPCR is an effective method for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater.