Performance Evaluation of the Fully Automated NeuMoDx RT-PCR Platform for the Quantification of CMV and EBV DNA in EDTA Plasma: Implications for Clinical Management and Establishment of a Conversion Formula

The NeuMoDx96 platform is a fully automated real-time PCR (RT-PCR) system. To provide continued testing quality with the introduction of new assays, the primary aim of this study was to evaluate the analytical and clinical performance of the NeuMoDx platform for the detection and quantification of CMV and EBV DNA in EDTA plasma. As no conversion from log(10) international units per milliliter to copies per milliliter was provided, the secondary aim was to calculate and establish a conversion factor for the output of results in copies per milliliter for CMV and EBV. Archived ETDA plasma samples (cytomegalovirus [CMV], n = 290; Ebstein-Barr virus [EBV], n = 254) were used to evaluate the analytical performance of the NeuMoDx96 platform against the routine real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays. Additionally, the first WHO international standards (WHO-IS) for CMV (n = 70) and EBV (n = 72) were used for the calculation of the intra- and interassay variation. WHO-IS qualitative agreement between the assays was 100%. Intra-assay variability was low for both CMV assays (coefficient of variation [CV], phosphate-buffered saline [PBS], 3 log(10) IU/mL NeuMoDx, 3.67%; Abbott RealTime, CMV, 3.35%) and NeuMoDx EBV assay (CV, PBS, 3 log(10) IU/mL, 3.05%) but high for the Altona EBV assay (CV, PBS, 3 log(10) IU/mL, 26.13%). The overall qualitative concordance in clinical samples was 96.8% (270/279) for CMV and 96.7% (237/245) for EBV. The mean difference between the assays was −0.2 log(10) IU/mL (CMV) and −0.18 log(10) IU/mL (EBV). High qualitative concordance and a significant correlation of quantitative values for both assays make NeuMoDx CMV and EBV assays suitable for routine diagnostic testing. The new RT-PCR system and conversion formulas to report results in copies per milliliter are now applied in clinical routine testing. IMPORTANCE Clinical management of solid organ transplant (SOT) patients requires the careful monitoring of immunosuppression and viral infection or reactivation. qPCR is the gold standard for the detection and quantification of very small amounts of viral DNA and allows for an early assessment of viral load kinetics. The tested NeuMoDx 96 platform provides faster results than the previously used RT-PCR workflows for CMV (Abbott m2000 and RealTime CMV assay) and EBV (LightCycler 480 II, Roche high pure extraction, and Altona RealStar EBV assay) DNA detection. The implemented conversion formulas allow the continued reporting in clinically established copies per milliliter, important for long-term care of SOT patients.