Abstract
The 2019 coronavirus outbreak has forced many industrial plants to shut down, then negatively affecting to the industrial sector and the economy of Thailand. Serial testing of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been proposed as a measure for safe factory reopening. This study examines the efficacy of detecting the pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 infection by detecting antigens in saliva samples. It compares the results obtained from the automated machine with the results of the manual antigen detection. The samples used in the study were saliva samples obtained from industrial workers in Bangkok and Nonthaburi provinces between March 2022 and May 2022. A total of 4,364 participants attended the study, of which 85 were confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2. An automated antigen detection using Lumipulse G1200 SARS-CoV-2 Ag detection and manual antigen test kit were compared with RT-PCR. The test results showed that The Lumipulse G1200 SARS-CoV-2 Ag is effective in detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection and results were comparable to confirmation method by RT-PCR with the sensitivity and specificity of SARS-CoV-2 as 87.0% (95% CI 78.0%–93.4%) and 99.0% (95% CI 96.6%–99.9%) respectively. In conclusion, the Lumipulse G1200 SARS-CoV-2 Ag is a capable tool for screening pathogens for SARS-CoV-2 and provide accurate test results when ccompare to the standard test method. The instrument is therefore suitable for use in epidemic situations where large volumes of samples are required to be tested, such as factory or school samples.
