Misidentification of the SARS-CoV-2 Mu variant using commercial mutation screening assays

Abstract

Detection of mutations by multiplex real-time RT-PCR is a widely used method for the screening of SARS-CoV-2 variants, but this method has several limitations. We describe three cases in which a Mu strain containing the mutation K417N was initially misclassified as the Beta variant. We recommend the detection of P681H to distinguish between these two variants. Our experience highlights the importance of keeping track of new variants and mutations in order to adapt the current workflows.