<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xml><records><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Chaves-Blanco, Lucía</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">de Salazar, Adolfo</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Fuentes, Ana</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Viñuela, Laura</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Perez-Florido, Javier</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Dopazo, Joaquin</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">García, Federico</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Evaluation of a combined detection of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants using real-time allele-specific PCR strategy: an advantage for clinical practice.</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Epidemiol Infect</style></secondary-title><alt-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Epidemiol Infect</style></alt-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Alleles</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">COVID-19</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">COVID-19 Testing</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Humans</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">SARS-CoV-2</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Sensitivity and Specificity</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2023</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2023 Nov 24</style></date></pub-dates></dates><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">151</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">e201</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">&lt;p&gt;This study aimed to assess the ability of a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with multiple targets to detect SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in a single test. Nasopharyngeal specimens were collected from patients in Granada, Spain, between January 2021 and December 2022. Five allele-specific RT-PCR kits were used sequentially, with each kit designed to detect a predominant variant at the time. When the Alpha variant was dominant, the kit included the HV69/70 deletion, E and N genes. When Delta replaced Alpha, the kit incorporated the L452R mutation in addition to E and N genes. When Omicron became dominant, L452R was replaced with the N679K mutation. Before incorporating each variant kit, a comparative analysis was carried out with SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequencing (WGS). The results demonstrated that RT-PCR with multiple targets can provide rapid and effective detection of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in a single test. A very high degree of agreement (96.2%) was obtained between the comparison of RT-PCR and WGS. Allele-specific RT-PCR assays make it easier to implement epidemiological surveillance systems for effective public health decision making.&lt;/p&gt;</style></abstract></record></records></xml>