Evaluation of the cobas SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B v2 assay for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A and B viruses in nasopharyngeal swab specimens

ABSTRACT Accurate and rapid diagnostic assays that simultaneously detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza A/B are crucial for effective clinical management and infection control. In the present study, we evaluated the cobas SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B v2...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Eunjung Jeong, Minhee Kang, Hyeonseek Park, Ji-Youn Kim, Sun Ae Yun, Yun Young Cho, Jae-Hoon Ko, Tae Yeul Kim, Hee Jae Huh, Nam Yong Lee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Society for Microbiology 2025-08-01
Series:Microbiology Spectrum
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.01111-25
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849397493389852672
author Eunjung Jeong
Minhee Kang
Hyeonseek Park
Ji-Youn Kim
Sun Ae Yun
Yun Young Cho
Jae-Hoon Ko
Tae Yeul Kim
Hee Jae Huh
Nam Yong Lee
author_facet Eunjung Jeong
Minhee Kang
Hyeonseek Park
Ji-Youn Kim
Sun Ae Yun
Yun Young Cho
Jae-Hoon Ko
Tae Yeul Kim
Hee Jae Huh
Nam Yong Lee
author_sort Eunjung Jeong
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Accurate and rapid diagnostic assays that simultaneously detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza A/B are crucial for effective clinical management and infection control. In the present study, we evaluated the cobas SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B v2 assay (Roche Diagnostics, Basel, Switzerland) using the Roche cobas 5800 system, comparing it to the Allplex SARS-CoV-2/FluA/FluB/RSV assay (Seegene, Seoul, Republic of Korea). A total of 871 nasopharyngeal swab specimens, including 164 SARS-CoV-2-positive, 76 influenza A-positive, 77 influenza B-positive, and 554 negative specimens, were tested using the cobas and Allplex assays in parallel. The positive percent agreement and negative percent agreement between the cobas and Allplex assays were 100% and 98.3% for SARS-CoV-2, 100% and 99.1% for influenza A, and 100% and 99.3% for influenza B, respectively. Cohen’s kappa values ranged from 0.95 to 0.96, indicating almost perfect agreement. The limits of detection for SARS-CoV-2 E and open reading frame 1ab genes, influenza A, and influenza B were 25.3, 12.4, 16.1, and 11.0 copies/mL, respectively. No cross-reactivity was observed with 29 non-target respiratory pathogens. These findings demonstrate that the cobas assay reliably detects SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A/B with high sensitivity and specificity. Notably, this assay enables high-throughput automated workflows, facilitating timely decision-making during SARS-CoV-2 and influenza cocirculation.IMPORTANCEAccurate and rapid diagnostic assays that simultaneously detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza A/B are essential for effective clinical management and infection control. This study demonstrates that the cobas SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B v2 assay reliably detects SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A/B with high sensitivity and specificity. Designed for use on the cobas 5800/6800/8800 systems, this assay supports high-throughput automated workflows, enabling timely decision-making during periods of high testing demand, such as the cocirculation of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza.
format Article
id doaj-art-9b7ca9d1493f4ee68ea9d7b90697a5b9
institution Kabale University
issn 2165-0497
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher American Society for Microbiology
record_format Article
series Microbiology Spectrum
spelling doaj-art-9b7ca9d1493f4ee68ea9d7b90697a5b92025-08-20T03:38:59ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologyMicrobiology Spectrum2165-04972025-08-0113810.1128/spectrum.01111-25Evaluation of the cobas SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B v2 assay for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A and B viruses in nasopharyngeal swab specimensEunjung Jeong0Minhee Kang1Hyeonseek Park2Ji-Youn Kim3Sun Ae Yun4Yun Young Cho5Jae-Hoon Ko6Tae Yeul Kim7Hee Jae Huh8Nam Yong Lee9Biomedical Engineering Research Center, Smart Healthcare Research Institute, Samsung Medical Center, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of KoreaBiomedical Engineering Research Center, Smart Healthcare Research Institute, Samsung Medical Center, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of KoreaBiomedical Engineering Research Center, Smart Healthcare Research Institute, Samsung Medical Center, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of KoreaResearch Institute for Future Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of KoreaResearch Institute for Future Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of KoreaResearch Institute for Future Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of KoreaABSTRACT Accurate and rapid diagnostic assays that simultaneously detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza A/B are crucial for effective clinical management and infection control. In the present study, we evaluated the cobas SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B v2 assay (Roche Diagnostics, Basel, Switzerland) using the Roche cobas 5800 system, comparing it to the Allplex SARS-CoV-2/FluA/FluB/RSV assay (Seegene, Seoul, Republic of Korea). A total of 871 nasopharyngeal swab specimens, including 164 SARS-CoV-2-positive, 76 influenza A-positive, 77 influenza B-positive, and 554 negative specimens, were tested using the cobas and Allplex assays in parallel. The positive percent agreement and negative percent agreement between the cobas and Allplex assays were 100% and 98.3% for SARS-CoV-2, 100% and 99.1% for influenza A, and 100% and 99.3% for influenza B, respectively. Cohen’s kappa values ranged from 0.95 to 0.96, indicating almost perfect agreement. The limits of detection for SARS-CoV-2 E and open reading frame 1ab genes, influenza A, and influenza B were 25.3, 12.4, 16.1, and 11.0 copies/mL, respectively. No cross-reactivity was observed with 29 non-target respiratory pathogens. These findings demonstrate that the cobas assay reliably detects SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A/B with high sensitivity and specificity. Notably, this assay enables high-throughput automated workflows, facilitating timely decision-making during SARS-CoV-2 and influenza cocirculation.IMPORTANCEAccurate and rapid diagnostic assays that simultaneously detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza A/B are essential for effective clinical management and infection control. This study demonstrates that the cobas SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B v2 assay reliably detects SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A/B with high sensitivity and specificity. Designed for use on the cobas 5800/6800/8800 systems, this assay supports high-throughput automated workflows, enabling timely decision-making during periods of high testing demand, such as the cocirculation of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.01111-25SARS-CoV-2influenzacobas assayAllplex assay
spellingShingle Eunjung Jeong
Minhee Kang
Hyeonseek Park
Ji-Youn Kim
Sun Ae Yun
Yun Young Cho
Jae-Hoon Ko
Tae Yeul Kim
Hee Jae Huh
Nam Yong Lee
Evaluation of the cobas SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B v2 assay for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A and B viruses in nasopharyngeal swab specimens
Microbiology Spectrum
SARS-CoV-2
influenza
cobas assay
Allplex assay
title Evaluation of the cobas SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B v2 assay for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A and B viruses in nasopharyngeal swab specimens
title_full Evaluation of the cobas SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B v2 assay for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A and B viruses in nasopharyngeal swab specimens
title_fullStr Evaluation of the cobas SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B v2 assay for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A and B viruses in nasopharyngeal swab specimens
title_full_unstemmed Evaluation of the cobas SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B v2 assay for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A and B viruses in nasopharyngeal swab specimens
title_short Evaluation of the cobas SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B v2 assay for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A and B viruses in nasopharyngeal swab specimens
title_sort evaluation of the cobas sars cov 2 influenza a b v2 assay for detecting sars cov 2 and influenza a and b viruses in nasopharyngeal swab specimens
topic SARS-CoV-2
influenza
cobas assay
Allplex assay
url https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.01111-25
work_keys_str_mv AT eunjungjeong evaluationofthecobassarscov2influenzaabv2assayfordetectingsarscov2andinfluenzaaandbvirusesinnasopharyngealswabspecimens
AT minheekang evaluationofthecobassarscov2influenzaabv2assayfordetectingsarscov2andinfluenzaaandbvirusesinnasopharyngealswabspecimens
AT hyeonseekpark evaluationofthecobassarscov2influenzaabv2assayfordetectingsarscov2andinfluenzaaandbvirusesinnasopharyngealswabspecimens
AT jiyounkim evaluationofthecobassarscov2influenzaabv2assayfordetectingsarscov2andinfluenzaaandbvirusesinnasopharyngealswabspecimens
AT sunaeyun evaluationofthecobassarscov2influenzaabv2assayfordetectingsarscov2andinfluenzaaandbvirusesinnasopharyngealswabspecimens
AT yunyoungcho evaluationofthecobassarscov2influenzaabv2assayfordetectingsarscov2andinfluenzaaandbvirusesinnasopharyngealswabspecimens
AT jaehoonko evaluationofthecobassarscov2influenzaabv2assayfordetectingsarscov2andinfluenzaaandbvirusesinnasopharyngealswabspecimens
AT taeyeulkim evaluationofthecobassarscov2influenzaabv2assayfordetectingsarscov2andinfluenzaaandbvirusesinnasopharyngealswabspecimens
AT heejaehuh evaluationofthecobassarscov2influenzaabv2assayfordetectingsarscov2andinfluenzaaandbvirusesinnasopharyngealswabspecimens
AT namyonglee evaluationofthecobassarscov2influenzaabv2assayfordetectingsarscov2andinfluenzaaandbvirusesinnasopharyngealswabspecimens