Cross reactivity among SARS-Cov-2 and other respiratory viruses

All the steps of molecular biology diagnosis followed strict procedures to prevent contamination, including redundant negative controls and segregated environments for pre- and post-amplification procedures. For evaluation of cross reactions with other viruses, the genetic material of 15 respiratory viruses: influenza A virus (Inf A), influenza B virus (Inf B), seasonal coronaviruses (CoV-NL63, -229E, -HKU1, and -OC43), enterovirus (EV), parainfluenza viruses (PIV-1, -2, -3 and -4), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), rhinovirus (RV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and adenovirus (AdV). The samples were tested using a panel of validated in-house singleplex real-time RT-qPCR assays developed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA), for 15 respiratory viruses, according to Sakthivel et al. [6] and for SARS-CoV-2 according to Corman et al. [5] by real-time RT-qPCR by TaqMan protocol.