È possibile migliorare i test antigenici rapidi Covid-19? Considerazioni da un'esperienza padovana

Background. The early identification of positive patients is a major challenge in the containment of a pandemic. In the case of coronavirus disease Covid-19, the gold standard for SARS-CoV-2 detection is the molecular technique. Antigen tests have the advantage of providing quick results and reducing costs. The aim of this work was to compare the procedures of different commercially available rapid tests for Covid-19 Ag screening in order to highlight some critical issues and possibly ameliorate performances as well as procedures. Methods. We have analyzed 187 subjects with a total of 778 tests by mean of a total of 7 different commercially available antigen tests. Positives at the rapid test were confirmed by RT-PCR. Results. Dissimilarities among products were found at each step of the recommended procedures. Conclusions. Small differences may not be relevant to the result, but more consistency across methods would make the tests easier and less operator-dependent. In particular, the type of specimen and the way it is collected are crucial to the reliability of the outcome and must be kept consistent across all manufacturers. We invite companies to agree upon a common protocol that will simplify healthcare professional tasks in the interest of the population well-being, without depriving them of any profit.