What you Need to Know about Best Rapid Antigen Test Service in the UK?

by John Smith Learner

A common diagnostic tool for respiratory pathogens, including influenza viruses as well as respiratory syncytial viruses, is known to be the antigen test. Antigen tests that can easily identify SARS-CoV-2 were approved for the emergency use by the guidance of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

Tests that detect viral antigens are called antigen tests, which indicate the presence of a virus. Currently, antigen tests can be yet performed by simply placing swabs from the nasopharynx or the nose into the assay's extraction buffer or the reagent. Currently, antigen tests are available as point-of-care, laboratory, and self-tests, and they can be used by anyone of any age.

Antigen testing is expensive, isn't it?

Most of the antigen test can be performed at the point-of-care, and they are relatively inexpensive. In most cases, results are available within 15–30 minutes. In general, SARS-CoV-2 antigen tests are less sensitive than RT-PCR or nucleic acid amplification tests. Virus nucleic acid can be detected with these tests. 

In order to correctly manage the patients or people with the suspected COVID-19, or to accurately identify the infected people when used for the certain screening, it is important to hence interpret both antigen test results as well as NAAT results.

Rapid Test Cassette Structure for COVID-19 Antigen

COVID-19 Antigen test cassettes are coated with two lines (control and test lines). Positive results will be hence indicated by through the colored line which is appearing on the test strip if the specimen contains the SARS-CoV-2 antigens. This will bind the antigens on the certain (T) Test Line region.

The (T) Test line region will never show any color if the antigens are somehow absent in the specimen. When the test procedure was being carried out properly and all the test components worked as intended, a colored line will eventually appear in the (C) Control line region as a sign of the procedural control.

What is the best way to interpret Valid Antigen Rapid Test Results?

1.     The result is positive: Two colored lines appear

Control (C) region should always have a colored line, while Test (T) region should have another line. Positive results are generally indicating the emerging presence of the SARS-CoV-2 antigens into this sample.

When instructions are being carefully followed, a positive antigen test result is hence accurate, but there is also the possibility of false-negative results. This means that you could still be infected with this harmful virus.

2.     Negative Result: A colored line appears in the Control (C) region

The region Test (T) does not contain any lines. In the Control (C) region, a colored line must always appear for the test to be valid, just as it does with the positive result. Negative results indicate that SARS-CoV-2 antigens were not detected in the sample. Despite the rapid antigen test, there is still a chance of infection if the antigen concentration is too low to detect.

3.     Invalid Result: The control line does not appear

Usually, the lack of a control line is due to insufficient diluent volume or incorrect procedural techniques. The test should be repeated by the use of some other new device.

The maximum of the antigen official rapid tests are generally meant for the precautionary care and they are quite affordable. You can get the results in the time frame of just 15 minutes.

As well as detecting viral nucleic acid, RT-PCR can detect levels of viral nucleic acid that cannot be cultured. This suggests that viral nucleic acid does not necessarily indicate contagiousness.

Antigen and antibody results need to be interpreted within 15-30 minutes. In a few hours, the result will no longer be valid.

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Created on Jan 17th 2022 01:49. Viewed 456 times.

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