5 Primary Reasons For False Positives In Nucleic Acid Tests For COVID-19

If you are in charge of conduction nucleic acid tests for COVID-19 detection, there is a chance that you may be getting a few false positives. There are actually a lot of reasons why this may be caused. 

One of the main reasons is using the wrong filter tips. You should always use the best quality tips for each of your tests, such as conductive filter tips for Hamilton. You will immediately notice that your tests are much more true to what the actual result was going to be. 

In this blog, we are listing down a few more reasons why you may experience false positives in the COVID-19 nucleic testing process. 

• Inappropriate Primer Design

Since the chosen amplification order has a similar structure as the non-target one, the PCR product that is amplified becomes the non-target sequence while PCR is being multiplied. Although ever since the finished kits are being used, the inappropriate primer design is a rare occurrence in lab practice. However, a few producers’ reagents still contain non-specific amplifications. Prior to use, performance screening and comparison evaluation are still advised to achieve an accurate reading. (GenFollower)

• Cross-Contamination Of Target Sequences Or PCR Products

Cross-contamination often happens inside of the lab or during sample collection. The cross-contamination of the whole genome or of a larger sector, in most cases, leads to false positives. Plus, even if there is nucleic acid polluting the air in small quantities, you may end up having a false positive. Both those things are different in size but are essentially the same when it comes to affecting a COVID-19 test. The latter one, though, needs to be avoided at all costs, especially when you are conducting a standardized operation. 

• Cross-Contamination Of Specimens

When the container for the specimens is contaminated, it tends to cause specimen contamination. It is also caused if the container of the specimen has a loose sealing on the exterior or if the specimen is leaking out of the container. The cross-contamination among the samples during the extraction of the nucleic acid template is brought on by the sampling gun. Some microbiological specimens, particularly viruses, have the ability to move via or produce aerosols, which can contaminate other samples.

• PCR Reagent Contamination

Reagents are another thing in this process that is at risk of contamination in this process. The main source over here is the sample gun, the container, the double steamed water, and a lot of other things. So, you must make sure to protect the reagent at all costs to get the accurate results you were hoping for. 

• Clone Plasmids Contamination

Cross-contamination is also a result of the positive control included in the kit that is used for the nucleic extraction process. A few kits call for the positive control, which is basically a fake virus that has the target gene, to be extracted alongside the sample in order to check the efficacy of the nucleic acid extraction procedure. As a result of heating, vibration, along with a few other processes, of the nucleic acid testing, the fumes may end up contaminating the automated nucleic acid extractor

Now, if you are looking to obtain some quality products for your lab in order to carry out accurate and precise tests and workflows, it is vital that you choose just the right company. We at Molecular Biology Products have all you may need for an effective and efficient workflow, including 50ul Conductive Filter Tips by Hamilton. So, check out our collection of molecular biology products now and choose products from some of the best manufacturers out there.