France has its own test to diagnose cases of 2019-nCoV coronavirus. This was developed by the National Reference Center (CNR) for respiratory infection viruses, which reports to the Institut Pasteur.
To measure an epidemic, you still need to know how to detect it. The genetic sequence of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus was quickly shared by Chinese researchers, which allowed teams around the world to develop specific diagnostic tests making it possible to establish with certainty whether a patient was affected by this new or not. virus. In Asia, China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Japan have in particular developed their own methods. But it was the Institute of Virology at the Charity Hospital in Berlin (Germany) that led the way on January 17, as these images show.
“They were a bit ahead because they had already prepared tests for other viruses of the coronavirus family”, explains Sylvie Behillil, deputy director of the National Reference Center (CNR) of respiratory infection viruses at the Institut Pasteur. “They published their technique but we also wanted to develop our own technique in parallel.” Like the Germans, the French therefore worked on the genetic sequence of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus isolated by China to develop a molecular technology making it possible to amplify the RNA of the virus, a molecule close to DNA and present in coronaviruses.
“We then tested our technique on many other respiratory viruses, such as MERS or SARS, because the test must be 100% specific for the new 2019-nCoV coronavirus” to obtain a reliable diagnosis, details the specialist. After conclusive results, this test was quickly used to confirm the possible cases reported on French soil, notably in Bordeaux and Paris, or more recently in Toulouse. However, this test is still in the validation phase because there are other criteria to assess, such as the sensitivity of this test which does not yet have a name.
In the slightest suspicious case, the referring physician of the Samu and the referring infectious disease specialist of the hospital establishment can place the patient in the “possible case” category. This is then moved to an individual room and respiratory samples are taken using a swab, a long cotton swab used to collect cells from the nose. These are then placed in a medium allowing their conservation and sent by courier to the Parisian laboratory, all in triple packaging. Results can then be communicated “in a few hours”.
The National Reference Center still manages to carry out the tests in sufficient numbers to respond to French “possible cases”, but it is still necessary to obtain a sufficient supply of the reagents necessary for the test. These products manufactured by industrialists make it possible to amplify the genome by fixing itself on that of the virus. The Emergency Biological Intervention Unit (Cibu), also at the Institut Pasteur, is also empowered to carry out these tests.
“We will quickly distribute the reagents so that the laboratories of the Regional Health Agencies (ARS) can in turn use the technique in the event of new suspicions”, explains Sylvie Behillil. The Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn had announced a release “in public hospitals in the current “ from this week. This would reduce delays, costs and relieve the National Reference Center.
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