Automation equipment manufacturers - what is the difference between nucleic acid detection and antigen detection?

　　GST automation equipment manufacturers understand that nucleic acid testing is a mature and internationally accepted laboratory diagnostic method, and is currently the international standard for judging positive infections. Due to the occult nature of the Omicron variant, since the outbreak, the vast majority of asymptomatic infections have been discovered and identified through nucleic acid testing. Therefore, nucleic acid testing is a key link in the "early detection" of the epidemic and is essential . So what is the difference between nucleic acid testing and antigen testing?

　　Nucleic acid amplification testing

　　1. Nucleic acid testing has relatively high requirements for testing reagents, testing facilities and equipment, and requires professionals to complete more complicated processes such as collection and testing.

　　2. One of the reasons why some patients infected with the new coronavirus were confirmed as positive after multiple rounds of nucleic acid testing may be due to the "window period" in which the amount of detoxification is small or intermittent in the early stage of infection. When receiving nucleic acid sampling, Due to the low viral load, it is very likely that the test cannot be detected or the test result does not meet the criteria for determining a positive, and the subsequent test is determined to be positive, which becomes the so-called "false negative".

　　Antigen detection

　　1. The advantage of the antigen detection method is that it is fast, easy to operate, and does not require laboratory operations; in areas that cannot be covered by nucleic acid detection methods, the rapid antigen method can be used as a supplementary method for screening specific groups of people to improve "Early detection" capability.

　　2. The specificity and sensitivity of antigen detection are lower than those of nucleic acid detection. When the amount of antigen detection is too large, the kit is not used in time after opening and other improper operations, abnormal test results may occur; at the same time, antigen detection Because there is no amplification link for nucleic acid detection, its sensitivity is also lower than that of nucleic acid detection.