False-Negative Results of Real-Time Reverse-Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2: Role of Deep-Learning-Based CT Diagnosis and Insights from Two Cases

Li, Dasheng; Wang, Dawei; Dong, Jianping; Wang, Nana; Huang, He; Xu, Haiwang; Xia, Chen

. Diseases caused by this novel coronavirus were named as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization. To date, the epidemic has gradually spread to over 30 provinces of China and 26 countries worldwide. The nucleic acid test or genetic sequencing for SARS-CoV-2 was regarded as the gold standard method for confirmation of infection. Here, we report two false negative results of real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) and discuss complementary approaches, such as computed tomography (CT) in combination with rRT-PCR to achieve a more reliable diagnosis in clinical practice. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Beijing Haidian Hospital, and the requirement of informed consent was waived since patient information was anonymized to ensure privacy. https://doi.org/10.3348/kjr.2020.0146 kjronline.org and was admitted to the Fever Clinic of the Beijing Haidian Hospital. His parents and sister were confirmed with COVID-19 2 days before. They contracted it after having dinner with a family friend who had recently returned from Wuhan. Physical examination showed fever with a peak body temperature of 38°C that returned to normal by itself. Laboratory examination showed normal leukocyte (9.32 x 10 9 /L) and neutrophil (1.93 x 10 9 /L) counts, increased differential count of lymphocytes (68.8%), and an elevated C-reactive protein level (11 mg/L).