Evaluation of the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 molecular diagnostic tests

Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in late 2019, the virus has spread worldwide and posed a major burden on public health. The rapid and accurate identification of patients infected with the virus by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is an effective measure to limit the spread of the virus. Many commercial kits have been available, but their efficiencies must be independently evaluated before their use in the laboratory. The objective of this study is to evaluate their effectiveness and stability before proceeding with the diagnosis. Ten SARS-COV-2 molecular diagnostic kits used in the Virology laboratory at the Center for Virology, Infectious and Tropical Diseases (CVMIT) at the Mohammed V Military Instruction Hospital (HMIMV) in Rabat between 2020 and 2024 were evaluated using a quantification standard from viral culture supernatant. The effectiveness of the kits varied from 93% to 168% depending on the manipulators and the target genes.