Will Antigen Testing Remain Relevant in the Point-of-Care Testing Environment?

Lindsey E Nielsen; Steven Mahlen; Deena E Sutter

doi:10.1016/j.cll.2023.02.003

Will Antigen Testing Remain Relevant in the Point-of-Care Testing Environment?

Clin Lab Med. 2023 Jun;43(2):167-179. doi: 10.1016/j.cll.2023.02.003. Epub 2023 Apr 4.

Authors

Lindsey E Nielsen¹, Steven Mahlen², Deena E Sutter³

Affiliations

¹ LN Laboratory Consulting, NE, USA. Electronic address: lindseynielsenpc@gmail.com.
² Sanford Health, Bismark, ND, USA.
³ Tenet Physician Resources/Baptist Health System, San Antonio, TX, USA.

PMID: 37169440
DOI: 10.1016/j.cll.2023.02.003

Abstract

Before the molecular age, cell culture was the gold standard for confirmatory diagnosis of viral and atypical infectious diseases. Typical cell culture methodologies are costly, require days (or weeks) for results, and require significant technical expertise. As a result, cell culture is impractical for timely diagnostic testing in most of the health care environments. Traditional bacterial culture methods, also have disadvantages due to the need for incubation, subsequent identification of pathogens, and significant technical expertise. This article discusses the general considerations of antigen and molecular assays and the merits and factors to consider when implementing diagnostic assays for several common pathogens.

Keywords: Antigen assay; Diagnostic infectious diease assay; Molecular assay; Pathogen detection; Point-of-care; Waived testing.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Bacteria
Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures*
Immunologic Tests*
Point-of-Care Testing