Molecular Efficacy of Two Commercially Available Liquid Transport Collection Devices for Downstream Testing on the GeneXpert® Platform and the Roche FLOW® System

Reliable detection of respiratory viruses and bacterial pathogens was maintained following transport in SIGMA-TRANSWAB® Foam, SIGMA-TRANSWAB® PurFlock®, and SIGMA-VIROCULT® when evaluated on the GeneXpert® and Roche FLOW® molecular platforms. Across all target organisms tested, the MWE devices demonstrated consistent molecular recovery after a 24-hour holding period and performed comparably to the SIGMA-VIROCULT® reference standard. Lower Ct values and reduced inhibition were also observed when compared with an alternative liquid transport swab system, supporting the use of these devices for downstream molecular analysis of both viral and bacterial specimens.