Infectiousness and Disease Severity^1)-6)

All pathogenic microorganisms causing infectious diseases are contagious. Patients with lower Ct values are generally more severe than those with higher Ct values because they have higher loads and are shedding more pathogen particles, which can be spread to others through secretion droplets or contact with surfaces. Ct values are associated with valuable clinical outcomes such as the severity and duration of symptoms, even mortality. Patients with lower Ct values tend to have more severe symptoms and worse effects. Healthcare professionals can use Ct values to determine the infectiousness of patients and make informed decisions about hospitalization, quarantine protocols, and more intensive treatment to prevent the spread of infection.

Treatment Applying and Monitoring⁷⁾

Ct values can be used to monitor the effectiveness of treatments for viral infections. Patients who respond well to treatment should have decreased Ct values over time, indicating a lower viral load. If a patient's Ct values remain high or increase despite treatment, it may indicate treatment failure or the emergence of drug-resistant strains. Healthcare professionals can use Ct values to monitor the effectiveness of treatments and adjust treatment plans about changing dosages, switching medications, or continuing supportive care.

Outbreak Dynamics and Management^8)-13)

Ct values can provide valuable insights into the epidemiology of viral outbreaks. Wastewater testing has emerged as a promising technique for the early detection of outbreaks. This technique involves analyzing the sewage samples from communities to identify the presence of specific pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and diarrhea-causing viruses. The technique has gained popularity in recent years because of its ability to detect viruses in communities where testing is not feasible due to financial or logistical limitations. One of the most critical factors in wastewater testing is the Ct value, which measures the virus in the sample. In many studies, the Ct values obtained from the samples were used to estimate the number of infected individuals in each community, demonstrating the effectiveness of wastewater testing in detecting outbreaks early.

Seegene's Allplex^TM products have been developed to maximize the effectiveness of syndromic testing by enabling the detection of multiple targets in a single reaction. Our products are further enhanced by the 3 Ct technology, our latest innovation, which allows the detection of up to 15 individual pathogens simultaneously, along with their respective Ct values. We at Seegene take immense pride in providing these cutting-edge molecular diagnostic assays that help healthcare professionals and researchers improve patient care and public health outcomes.

References

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