Except for SGTF RT-PCR with ‘Stealth Omicron’, testing turns into Omisure kit
Whereas the 'S' gene drop - an indication of that Omicron virus variant B1.1. 'S' gene target failure (SGTF) had been reported in the kit
Nagpur: Amid the emergence of new Omicron virus sub-lineages BA.1, BA.2, and BA.3 in high numbers of symptomatic patients, City laboratories may very soon switch to indigenously developed Omisure RT-PCR kits for detection very soon.
Whereas the ‘S’ gene drop – an indication of that Omicron virus variant B1.1. ‘S’ gene target failure (SGTF) had been reported in the kit, The sub-lineage had escaped detection in the RT-PCR run. Recently, the ‘S’ gene target failure test on around 71 samples at IGGMCH has come back positive for 70, Wherein GMCH, 89 positives have been found in similar tests on other 93 samples.
A positive test indicates the presence of the ‘S’ gene, This is how Omicron completely rejects the virus variant, Whereas the possibility of sub-versions requires a great deal of whole-genome sequencing.
The officials of GMCH and IGGMCH were surprised by the detection of ‘S’ gene in most of the samples under the ‘S’ gene target failure RT-PCR kit.
Officials have also said that the Omisure RT-PCR kit will also accurately identify Omicron and its sub-lineages BA.1 BA.2 and BA.3, Who is also being called ‘Stealth Omicron’.
On Tuesday, the State Task Force has also directed the Medical Colleges and Surveillance Officers to give priority to Omisar’s kit instead of the ‘S’ gene target failure kit. The laboratories of GMCH, IGGMCH, and AIIMS-Nagpur had procured only 1,000 ‘S’ gene target failure kits in the same month.
Principal Professor and Head, Department of Microbiology, AIIMS, Dr. Meena Mishra, has said that the focus of detecting the omicron virus variant or delta is only on the hospitalized patients. It has also been said that there is an urgent need to test the type present in samples from patients with moderate to very severe coronavirus. Omisure will also go a long way in concluding whether the patient is positive for the Omicron virus and its offspring.
Head of NEERI’s environmental virology cell, Dr. Krishna Khairnar, has said that the four genome sequencing series carried out by his laboratory so far has shown the presence of Omicron virus in a given population. And the status of its lineage has been brought to the fore.
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